If Living is Without You
by 554Laura
Summary: A Valentine's Day story for my friend MPHS95. Post Season 12. Aubrey and Jessica have moved on after their breakup, but are they really happy? Some angst at the beginning, but, since it's Valentine's Day, everything works out in the end. I hope you like your story, MPHS. Happy Valentine's Day.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's note: Surprise...it's me, 554Laura, writing another story for MPHS95 for Valentine's Day. Here's part of what she requested..._**

 **Post Aubrey break up with Karen, he and Jessica are friends again but still have strong feelings for the other. Each gets a secret admirer for Valentine's Day.** **Bad weather strands A/J somewhere on Valentine's Day. They talk about what went wrong and come to an understanding of their future.**

 _ **We have to start with some angst, but I promise we'll have a happy ending. However, it's going to take us some time to get there.**_

 _ **Happy Valentine's Day, Michelle...I hope this is what you wanted...**_

* * *

It was a gray, drizzly day in late January as Special Agent James Aubrey sat in his office, reading through his latest case files. The agents in his unit had developed an excellent track record since he'd taken over the division after Special Agent in Charge Halko had retired. Pleased that everything looked to be in order, he tried to smile. Work was going very well.

Too bad the rest of his life sucked…

He watched as the raindrops rolled slowly down his office window, wondering how things had managed to go so thoroughly to hell in such a short period of time. He glanced at the date in the corner of his computer screen. He was about six weeks past his break up with Karen, but that wasn't really the problem. In fact, if the truth was to be told, he was actually relieved to be out of that relationship. _A guy can only eat so many buckets of chicken before he decides he wants a steak…_

He had to admit, though...it was sure nice of Karen to bring him that big bucket of chicken with all the fixings so he could indulge in some breakup binging after Jessica had dumped him. Karen had said she'd a lot of experience in dealing with breakups, and that binge eating had always helped her get over whatever guy had broken her heart. They'd talked, and they'd laughed, and they'd eaten all of the chicken, and he assumed that would be the end of it. He'd reluctantly move on from the failed relationship with Jessica, and things would eventually get back to the normal routine again.

No, the problem wasn't the absence of Karen. His real problem was the absence of Jessica in his life.

He missed his beautiful, quirky anthropologist. She was so smart...so funny...so breathtakingly sexy. She loved the same things he did, right down to Star Wars movies and his cat. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman...but, unfortunately, she didn't want to see him anymore, so he had given her what she said she wanted. He had let her go.

And it hurt like hell...

Oooooooooo

At first he hadn't noticed that Karen was showing up more frequently at his office after his breakup with Jessica. It all seemed to be business as usual, since they worked together on so many cases. Soon, however, it became apparent that she had more on her mind than psychological profiles when she stopped by. She dropped broad hints about the two of them getting together socially, and after ignoring her for several weeks, he decided to take her up on her suggestion that they go out to dinner together one evening. _Why not? After all, it's not like I have to be faithful to anyone in particular…and, anyway, I'm hungry..._

One dinner led to another, and over the next few weeks it seemed they were spending more and more time together. Then it happened that Aubrey had awakened on a Sunday morning to find her in bed next to him, her dark red hair splayed out in a wild mess on her pillow. Cringing slightly, he'd felt something akin to horror as he jumped out of bed. He liked Karen, but not in a permanent relationship way, and he wasn't anxious for all the fallout that would occur when she found out that after a night of getting drunk together, he had basically just needed to scratch an itch, and she just happened to be the lucky girl to do that for him.

He had been thoroughly disgusted with himself for taking advantage of Karen like that, but on the other hand, he also was afraid of what might happen if he ended his relationship with her. He didn't want to end up as a lonely old man with nobody to love him. He had considered both sides of the question carefully before coming to a decision. Maybe it was time to grow up...time to accept how things were going to be…maybe Karen was the one...maybe he needed to settle down, and she was definitely willing and definitely available...

But he knew in his heart he'd never be able to have any sort of meaningful, long term romantic relationship with the profiler. In his whole life there had only been one woman who he'd ever consider marrying, and she'd cut him loose without so much as a backwards glance...no explanation...nothing.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried. When Jessica came to the Hoover to tell him they were done, he was truly stunned. It was as if one day things were great, and then the next day things were shit. He'd wanted an explanation, and he wasn't going to let her leave until he got it…

...But then his phone rang. The Kovacs case was getting ready to literally blow up in their faces, and he didn't have time to talk to her. She'd told him to go, like she understood, but now he wasn't sure…maybe he should've stayed, but he had work responsibilities. She knew that, right?

After the dust had settled from the aftermath of the lab's destruction, he'd meant to call Jessica, but he wasn't sure what to say. He'd stare at her number on his phone, knowing he should call her so they could talk things through, but deep down he realized that he didn't want to know the truth about their breakup. How do you ask someone why they don't love you anymore? And what would he say if she told him the reasons? How could he bear to hear that? Maybe it would be better just to give up...

He'd seen her from time to time while they were working a case, but there was never any time for small talk...or in this case for the _big_ talk. They were always professional...coldly professional. It was like there had never been anything between them. He had never loved someone the way he loved her, and now they were reduced to being nothing more than colleagues...colleagues who didn't even speak to each other. There was nothing left between them...nothing worth saving, anyway...

And _nothing_ , it seemed, was exactly what he had going for himself right now. He sighed as he checked the time on his computer. It was time to go home to his quiet apartment so he could eat dinner and spend the evening thinking about what might have been.

Oooooooooo

He nodded as he sat on the couch and sipped his beer that night, remembering an evening at the restaurant as if it had been yesterday. There was a light rain falling, and Aubrey had helped Karen with her raincoat as they stepped inside the Founding Fathers. He quickly gave his name to the hostess, who went to find them a table. Shaking out her umbrella, Karen offered Aubrey a coy smile. "So, as I was saying...where should we go for Valentine's Day?"

"Hmm?" Preoccupied with thoughts of other nights spent at that same restaurant with a different redhead, Aubrey shrugged slightly in surprise. "What? Oh, Valentine's Day...I don't know. I guess I haven't given it much thought." He glanced at his phone to check his messages. "Anyway, that's a couple of months away, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I was thinking that perhaps we could go on a trip somewhere for a long weekend...somewhere romantic. I think I'd like to go somewhere warm, like maybe the Virgin Islands, or the Bahamas, and we'd need to ask for time off if we were going to travel that far. I'd love to go somewhere tropical for a few days...with a nice beach..."

"Yeah, I guess." Her boyfriend had stopped paying attention to her chattering when he caught sight of someone with a familiar shade of red hair sitting in a booth. Hearing the laughter coming from that general direction, it suddenly hit him. Jessica must have a dinner date. Feeling a wave of anguish well up inside of him, Aubrey needed to get away from there as fast as he could. He didn't want to see her with anyone else. "You know what? This place is really busy, and it's gonna take forever before we can get a table. Why don't we go somewhere else?"

Before Karen could agree to the change of plans, the hostess returned to the waiting area. "Aubrey? Table for two…"

"Oh, that's us. Come on, James…" Karen walked briskly behind the hostess before turning to glare at him. "Well? Are you coming?"

"Okay, okay." He trudged behind Karen as they moved toward their booth. It wasn't until they finally sat down and got situated that he realized who was sitting across the aisle from them. "Great...Jessica…just what I don't need...", he said to himself softly.

Hearing her name, Jessica Warren looked up to see her former lover sitting with her former friend. A slight glimmer of pain and regret flickered across her face as she acknowledged him with a nod before turning back to her companion.

"Who is that?!" Glancing toward the people sitting across from them, Aubrey leaned across the table toward Karen. "Over there...with Jessica…the big guy..."

Karen's brow furrowed in irritation as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, unhappy that, for some reason, Aubrey was still interested in what Jessica was up to instead of focusing on her plans for a romantic Valentine's Day getaway. "I think I heard someone at the lab say that she has a new boyfriend. His name is Scott something...Mason or Morgan...something like that. He went to Maryland on a lacrosse scholarship, graduated in the top five percent of his class, has his master's degree in anthropology from American, and is working on his doctorate in Egyptian studies. He's doing his archaeology internship at the Jeffersonian."

 _Of course Karen would know all about that...she's still jealous of Jessica._ Aubrey chuckled softly until he realized he had little room to talk when it came to jealousy. After all, he was fighting the urge to walk over and wipe the smile off the face of Jessica's date. He fidgeted with his fork, trying to act cool. "Yeah, sounds like her type. She likes smart guys…"

Karen giggled as she sipped her drink. "I do, too. That's why I like you. So, let's plan our Valentine's Day trip…"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Karen…taking a trip together can be expensive...", Aubrey began before being interrupted by a voice he knew so well.

"Hi, Aubrey. Hi, Karen." Jessica and Scott were standing next to the table, stopping to chat before they left. "How are you two doing?", she asked quietly as she turned her gaze to her former boyfriend. "It seems like forever since I've seen you…"

"Oh, we're wonderful, aren't we, James? We're planning a Valentine's Day cruise to the Virgin Islands…", Karen bubbled. "How are you?"

"Fine." She turned to the man standing next to her. "This is Scott Milton…he's an Egyptologist studying at the Jeffersonian."

Aubrey eyed the tall, well built man suspiciously. "Hi." Trying to be polite, he offered to shake hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi." Ignoring the outstretched hand, Scott took Jessica's hand in his and gave her a flirty wink before turning to Aubrey with a nasty smirk. "Me and Jess are going to New York City for Valentine's Day…"

Jessica turned to her companion in surprise. "We are?"

"Sure, Baby. We're gonna go see a musical. _Billy Elliot._ It's about a kid who wants to dance."

"A musical?" Aubrey couldn't help but snicker. "Gee, that sounds like fun…I know how much you like that sort of thing, Jessica..."

"Almost as much fun as being on a cruise ship when you're prone to motion sickness, Aubrey." Jessica giggled at Aubrey's irritation and discomfort as he squirmed in his chair. "Well, it's good to see you two. We've got to go...we're going to see _Gilda_ at the Orpheon…Scott just loves the classics, right, Scott?"

"Whatever you say, Baby." Scott put his arm around Jessica and smiled. "She's so much fun to hang out with...nice to meet you both."

 _BABY! She lets him call her 'baby'!_ Aubrey almost choked on his soda. "Yeah...you, too."

"Have fun…" Karen waved before turning her back on the pair. "...watching some crazy old movie…"

Aubrey watched as they walked away, unable to avert his eyes. _Like watching a car wreck...the wreck of my life…_

And then he saw it. Jessica turned back to look at him, and smiled that soft, sweet smile...the one she'd normally saved for him...the one that always turned him inside out...the one that usually turned his knees to jelly. Feeling his heart pound wildly, he smiled back, which she acknowledged with a slight nod before leaving the restaurant.

 _Could it be? Does she still love me?...no...it couldn't be…could it?_

As he pondered the possibilities, he didn't hear a word Karen said for the rest of the evening.

Oooooooooo

He'd broken up with Karen shortly after that evening. There would be no Valentine's Day vacation with the profiler, much to her dismay. She had been livid when he ended things with her, and if he was honest with himself, he knew she had every right to be angry and hurt. He had led Karen on, making her think he really cared for her, when in reality, he hadn't completely gotten over Jessica, and he wasn't sure that he ever would.

He'd tried to explain the situation to Karen, but she wasn't buying the idea that he was still hung up on his old girlfriend. "I can't believe you'd want to waste your life on her, James. She doesn't love you now, and .I'm sure she never really did. I'm not sure she knows what it means to be in a mature, loving relationship. If I remember correctly, she didn't even tell you why she was breaking up with you, and now, for some reason, you want her back. Well, go ahead...spend your precious time chasing after her. When you're finally tired of trying to pin her down, call me, and maybe we'll talk." She slammed the door behind her as she left.

He wasn't proud of hurting her, but he also knew it wasn't fair to himself or to Karen for him to continue their relationship merely because he was afraid...afraid to be alone...afraid of what Karen would say and do when he broke up with her...afraid of the rejection he might face when he tried to get Jessica to take him back.

There was no use pretending that he and Karen could be happy together. It just wasn't meant to be...at least not until he was sure of where he stood with Jessica.

Slumping back on the couch, he shook his head as he reached out to scratch his cat's ears. "You're lucky, you know that, Skinner? You don't have to worry about anything. You get fed and you have a place to sleep, and that's all you need, right?"

The cat jumped down from sofa, swishing his tail as he walked away toward the kitchen.

"Yeah, see? Even my cat knows I'm a rotten bastard." Sighing heavily, Aubrey pushed himself up off the couch and took his beer bottle into the kitchen before turning in for the night.

As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a plan began to form in his mind. It was two weeks until Valentine's Day, and in that two weeks, he was going to try to find out what went wrong between himself and Jessica, and then, if at all possible, he was going to fix it. He might not be successful, but at least he'd know for sure whether or not it was time to move on to a life without Jessica.

Two weeks...starting tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Jessica Warren sat on the edge of her bed after her shower late one evening, running a comb her damp hair as she thought over everything that had happened in her life recently. It had been over four months since she'd broken up with James Aubrey, and once again, she wondered if she'd done the right thing. Had she been too hasty? Maybe, as it seemed regrets were still nagging at her. If only she could be completely certain she'd made the right choice...but, she had to admit to herself, it was possible she'd made a terrible mistake instead. She really, really missed him. Picking up her phone, she once again debated with herself about whether or not to call him. Would he even be willing to talk to her now, especially considering how she'd ended things?

Setting her phone aside, she sighed as she brushed a tear away. Her heart was aching as she thought about losing Aubrey…

...and she had no one to blame but herself.

Oooooooooo

Jessica had never met anyone like Agent Aubrey. Smart, funny, intense, attractive...so many different aspects were wrapped up in his cheerful, unassuming manner. She'd decided as soon as she met him that she might like to get to know him better, never once considering that she might actually fall in love with the man. He was supposed to be merely another interesting challenge, not a long term lover.

She had always thought it was so much easier to have casual relationships with no strings attached. She wanted to be the one in control...the one who decided where things were going while she was involved with someone. That was the way she dealt with most of the men in her life, keeping them at arm's length, and then shutting things down when they wanted to get too close.

It was fun to go out to dinner or a movie with one of the guys she knew, and it was great to hang out with a group of them at a bar when there was a ballgame on, but that was all she needed. She rarely wanted more from any of them. She had a plan for her life and for her career, and a committed relationship would only get in the way of what she wanted to accomplish. She didn't need a boyfriend to feel emotionally fulfilled. She was too busy with her internship and her dissertation to worry about someone else's feelings, and she was perfectly happy with the way things were.

It was different with Aubrey, however. Suddenly she felt unsure of herself and about what she wanted from him, and she was beginning to feel dangerously entangled in the ties of a serious relationship. She soon discovered that she wouldn't be satisfied with just a casual acquaintance with the man, and she definitely didn't want him to be romantically involved with anyone other than her. She wanted something more permanent with him. Unaccustomed to these feelings, she had cautiously contemplated what she should do next.

The logical, scientific part of her personality was frightened by these developments. Emotions could be scary things, and as she realized the strength of emotions she felt for Aubrey, it shook her to the core. She was still feeling skittish about being tied down, even with a man who seemed to love her as much as he did. And because of how much as she loved him, logic had very little chance of standing against the flood of love and happiness she felt whenever she was with him. Still, it was enough to make her nervous. There were too many variables in place to conduct that sort of experiment correctly.

The less logical side of her personality was also uneasy. Being in a serious relationship with someone took a lot of effort, and she had been inexperienced when it came to being part of a successful monogamous couple. What she had needed was advice on how to conduct such a relationship successfully. The question was, where to get it…

Oooooooooo

When Karen Delfs had called all those months ago, wondering if Jessica wanted to go for drinks one evening, it seemed like a good idea. Why not go out and have some fun? The profiler had a quirky sense of humor, and she could carry on an intelligent conversation with almost anyone.

They'd decided to hit the Founding Fathers' Ladies Night one Tuesday evening. It was supposed to be a girls' night out for the Jeffersonian crew and the FBI team...no men allowed...but, one by one, almost all of the women who'd been informed of the plans had decided against attending. Still, Jessica didn't mind if it was just her and Karen. Maybe she could get some friendly advice about what to do about Aubrey without having to explain things to everyone else. It would be less embarrassing that way.

The two women sat at the bar and ordered a platter of nachos supreme and a couple of beers. After chatting about nothing of real importance for a few minutes, Karen leaned toward Jessica with a conspiratorial smirk. "So, when are you leaving for Los Angeles? Have you told Dr. Brennan yet? Making that move has got to be really exciting...and maybe a bit scary, too."

"Los Angeles? Why on Earth would I go to Los Angeles?" Jessica was shocked as she stared at her companion. "My internship is here...my friends are here...Aubrey is here…"

"Yeah, but Aubrey won't be here for long, right?" Karen giggled happily until she saw Jessica's confused expression. "Oh, my God...he hasn't told you yet, has he?" Biting her lip, the profiler pushed her glasses up on her nose and tried to appear contrite. "It's all over the Hoover now...Aubrey has been offered a big promotion, but it means he'll have to move out to the LA field office within the month…"

"No, he hasn't told me yet." Closing her eyes as she slumped on her barstool, Jessica didn't know if she should laugh or cry. "Well, that's interesting, isn't it? Especially since I talk to him practically every day." Shrugging at Karen's woeful expression, the young woman ran her thumb down the label on her beer bottle. "I wonder when he was going to get around to telling me about that little detail. Maybe he was going to wait until after Dr. Saroyan's wedding so he'd be sure to have a date for the evening…"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Jessica…", Karen began quietly. "He probably hasn't made up his mind about what to do yet. I mean, moving clear across the country is a big deal. Maybe he's not sure he wants to do that."

"And, of course, he couldn't discuss it with me, since I'm just his 'sort of' girlfriend." Gesturing for the bartender to bring them each another beer, Jessica stared at the empty bottle in front of her. "And he's had plenty of opportunity to tell me, right? This whole promotion thing didn't just happen yesterday…"

"Um...no, it didn't. It's been a couple of weeks." Karen picked up a cheese covered chip and popped it into her mouth. "If it was me, I'd be really pissed at the guy. You two are supposed to be an item, too, aren't you?"

"I thought so, but I guess I was wrong." Clearly frustrated, Jessica sighed as she turned to her friend. "What should I do, Karen? I really, really like him, but maybe he doesn't feel the same way about me. I wouldn't want to get out there in a brand new city where I don't know anybody, and then find out he didn't really want me to come with him. Maybe I should just let him go by himself. Maybe I should just tell him I don't care what he does, because I don't want to see him anymore."

"Is that the beer talking, or is that what you really think?" Seeing how upset her companion was, Karen drained her bottle and set it down on the bar with a thud. "Actually, that's exactly what you should do. You're going to have to take charge of your relationship. Tell him you're breaking up with him...that you don't see a future together. That should get his attention. I bet he'll beg you to go to Los Angeles with him…he won't want to lose you."

"So he'd beg me to go with him because I threatened to break up with him? I doubt it. I don't think that's really what he has in mind, or he would've been up front with me about the move to begin with. That's what kind of guy he is." Nervously picking at the label on her beer bottle, Jessica shook her head. "I'm not even sure I would want to go to LA if he asked me. Everything I want is here...my internship...my classes…"

"Maybe if you threaten to break up with him, he'll change his mind and stay…"

"But that isn't fair to him, if he really wants the promotion." Nodding resolutely, Jessica turned to her friend. "I've been thinking a lot about this thing between the two of us anyway...about whether or not we actually belong together." Jessica hesitated slightly, wondering if Karen would believe her, even if it wasn't the truth. "Maybe I really should break up with Aubrey...you know, not just threaten, but really end things completely. That would make things easier for both of us in the long run. That way he wouldn't have to choose between me and his job."

"Well, I wouldn't recommend that you make a hasty decision, but if you're already uncomfortable with how things are between you two, then I think maybe you'd be right to reconsider how much effort you want to put to being with him." Karen took a sip of her beer. "But I bet he'll change his tune about things in a hurry if you tell him you're ending things with."

"Maybe. But I'm not sure I even want to be with him if he won't talk to me about the important things in his life...you know, such as things that have the potential to affect both of us. It's almost like he doesn't really care what I think, you know? I'm not sure I can even trust him any more. Anyway, if I have to threaten to break up with him just to get him to ask me to move across the country with him, I'm not sure it's worth it. I think we'd both end up regretting it."

Karen nodded sympathetically. "I completely understand. Transparency is important in a loving relationship. It makes me wonder how committed he is to you if he doesn't want to talk about those things. I think you should confront him, now that you know, and find out why he didn't tell you what's going on."

Sighing softly, Jessica blinked back her tears. Unfortunately, it seemed that Karen was correct. Aubrey's silence about his promotion and transfer had made it plain that he didn't care for her like she cared for him. "Maybe. We'll see. Anyway, I don't want to talk about that anymore. Let's talk about something else…"

Oooooooooo

Jessica had marched into the Hoover on a mission the morning after the wedding reception fiasco, wanting to get her task over with before she changed her mind. After sitting up all night in Karen's apartment, talking things over with her friend as a drunken Aubrey lay passed out in the guest bedroom, she realized that the profiler was right. It was time to make a clean break with the agent. He'd asked her to move to Los Angeles with him in such a half-hearted manner that she knew he hadn't really meant for her to take him up on it. He'd merely caved in to the awkward peer pressure from Dr. Hodgins and Dr. Delfs. He was just doing what was expected of him, and since that expectation had been fulfilled, they could now go their separate ways. He'd be relieved...he'd be happy that she'd let him off the hook by breaking up with him.

Or so she thought, until she'd seen the stricken look on his face. Clearly very upset at the sudden turn of events, he'd wanted to discuss her decision further, but his phone rang, and he was called away to work on the Kovacs' case.

Things had gone downhill quickly from that point. They hadn't seen each other much after the lab was destroyed by the explosion. Aubrey had taken her at her word. She'd said she didn't want to see him anymore, and he'd complied with her wishes. He had avoided her completely, to the point of only slightly acknowledging her presence if they were at a crime scene together.

That was exactly what Jessica had wanted...until that was what she got. It appeared that Aubrey had moved on quite easily after their break up, and Karen, not wasting any time as soon as Aubrey was available, had swooped in to console him in his time of loss.

Jessica couldn't help but wonder if that had been Karen's plan all along. Karen had been a staunch supporter of the 'make Aubrey beg' plan, encouraging the idea that it was a necessary evil to threaten to break up with Aubrey in order to force his hand. Unfortunately, it had been a spectacular failure as far as Jessica was concerned. The threat became reality, and their relationship had ended.

Karen and Aubrey were now a couple, and Jessica was left alone...again.

Oooooooooo

Thinking back on what had happened a few weeks ago, Jessica closed her eyes as she remembered the struggle to maintain her composure that evening at the Founding Fathers. Of course, the perverse nature of the Universe meant that Aubrey and Karen would show up together while she was there on a date with Scott Milton, and, naturally, they ended up sitting across the aisle from each other in the restaurant.

Scott was a nice looking man, and quite intelligent, but he was severely lacking in the personality department. If their dinner conversation strayed beyond ancient Egypt or lacrosse, he had nothing much to say. He was pleasant, but not very interesting, having few real opinions about anything worthwhile and no real urge to extend himself outside of his comfort zone. It was the third time she'd gone out with him, and she'd already realized that her interest in him had run its course.

As she had glanced wistfully at the table opposite from them, she remembered all the fun she'd had discussing a variety of things with Aubrey, who was a well read man with a wide range of interests. The man was never boring. He could quote both Star Wars movies and the Bible at the drop of the hat, he was well versed in baseball and in politics, and, to top it off, he was an excellent cook as well. Maybe he wasn't a card carrying genius like Scott Milton, but the FBI agent could run intellectual circles around the Egyptologist any day of the week.

Seeing Aubrey and Karen at the restaurant together had probably been unavoidable. The Founding Fathers was a popular place among FBI agents, and Jessica knew she should've anticipated seeing them there. However, listening to Karen gloat as she mentioned their upcoming cruise was extremely aggravating. It was bad enough that Jessica felt like Karen had stolen Aubrey away from her. Having the psychologist flaunt her triumph so brazenly was more than any normal person could bear.

They were all in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and she couldn't get away fast enough.

Oooooooooo

Jessica's phone chimed to remind her that she'd missed another call from Scott. She grimaced as she tossed her phone aside. She wouldn't be going to watch a musical in New York City with him for Valentine's Day. In fact, she wouldn't be going anywhere else with him, either. She wouldn't be seeing Scott again.

Her mind kept replaying the scene as they'd left the restaurant. As she'd turned back to look at Aubrey once again, she couldn't help but smile as she thought about all the fun they'd had together when they were a couple.

And then she'd seen it...the smile he'd given her in return. Her heart had been pounding in her chest as she stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. It was a brilliant, hopeful smile...the smile that normally turned her into a puddle of mush when he flashed it at her. Those dimples were adorable. How could she have let Aubrey go, when he had a charm smile like that?

Suddenly Scott looked like a poor imitation of the man she truly wanted to be with.

She knew then that she wanted Aubrey, and even though he was with Karen that evening, his smile had given her hope. If nothing else, maybe they could be friends again. At least that would be a good place to start…

Picking up her phone, she glanced at the date. Two weeks until Valentine's Day. Two weeks to find out if they could work things out to be on good terms again.

Two weeks...starting tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Pulling his SUV into its normal spot in the Jeffersonian's underground parking, Aubrey turned off the car and checked his image in the visor mirror once again. _Not bad...if I do say so myself._ His dark hair had been freshly trimmed and was carefully combed into place. His icy blue shirt contrasted nicely with his charcoal gray suit and the dark blue and silver striped tie he'd purchased especially for this occasion. As part of his plan to entice Jessica to consider taking him back, he was determined to make a good impression on her this morning. Taking a deep breath, he got out of the car and started walking quickly to the elevator before stopping suddenly. Swearing softly, he jogged back to the car to get his folder. After all, he needed a reason to see her, like maybe bringing her some evidence to peruse...so he'd better have the evidence with him, right? _Smooth move, there, Slick…_

He tapped his foot nervously as he waited for the elevator to take him up to the lab. He hadn't been there much since it was in the process of being rebuilt, and he wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but that was going to be a minor detail as long as he was able to talk to his favorite redhead this morning.

After wandering down a corridor for a few minutes, Aubrey finally found the new lab area. The repair of large open room was a work in progress, with construction equipment and scaffolding still in place as workers tried to finish their jobs quickly while still trying to please the fastidious Dr. Brennan as she supervised their every move.

Seeing a familiar figure, the agent confidently strode over to greet him. "Hey, Hodgins…"

"Aubrey! Long time, no see! How's it going, Buddy?" Hodgins grinned as he shook hands with his friend. "I was beginning to think you weren't ever coming back."

"I've been busy, you know, trying to get the division in shape...trying to learn my new job on the fly and all…" Aubrey quickly scanned the area, hoping to see his former girlfriend. "Anyway, I needed to give this folder to Dr. Brennan, but I see she's busy, so if you tell me where I can find her intern…"

"Wait...aren't you a Special Agent in Charge? Why didn't you just send it here via courier instead of bringing it over here yourself?" Hodgins chuckled at the transparency of Aubrey's excuse. "Well, Oliver should be back any minute…he can be a jerk sometimes, but he trusted to give that file to Dr. B."

"Oliver? As in Oliver Wells? Dammit...I mean, I don't mind giving this file to him, but…" Aubrey tried unsuccessfully to hide his disappointment. "...I thought maybe Ms. Warren was working here in the lab today…"

"What?" Hodgins pretended to be offended. "You want to talk to Jessica? And here I thought you came all the way over here just to see me." Laughing at Aubrey's embarrassment, Hodgins shrugged as he turned his wheelchair towards his office. "Ms. Warren is down in bone storage taking some pictures and some measurements for our new database, trying to make sure that we have all the bones that belong together put back in the correct box. As you can imagine, it was a giant mess down there after the explosion. You know where bone storage is, right? Down in the basement?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Hodgins. Good to see you again." Aubrey waved as he started for the stairway that would take him to the lowest level of the lab.

"Yeah, you, too." Laughing to himself, Hodgins called after the agent. "Hey, Aubrey...didn't you want to leave that evidence file with Oliver so he can give it to Dr. B?"

"Oh...yeah, I guess so...here…" Trying to act cool, Aubrey sauntered back to his friend and handed him the folder. "Tell him I said hello…"

"You bet." Hodgins smirked as he thumbed through the file. "I'll make sure he gives all of these blank pages to Brennan, too…"

"Give me that…" Rolling his eyes at Hodgins, Aubrey snatched the file back and pretended to look through it. "Shit...this is the wrong file…"

"You got that right." Hodgins shook his head as he raised an eyebrow at the younger man. "Now...go see Ms. Warren."

Oooooooooo

Feeling extremely nervous, Aubrey hurried down the stairs to the basement, rehearsing his speech in his mind as he went. _I was here at the lab anyway and thought I'd just drop by to say hi…_ He grimaced slightly, wondering if he'd sound like an idiot. As smart as Jessica was, she'd probably see right through his lame attempt to act casual, and she might even ask all sorts of pointed questions, like why he hadn't just called her a long time ago if he wanted to talk to her.

Undeterred by his nerves, he took a deep breath as he approached bone storage. The door to the room was slightly ajar, and he was delighted with what he saw as he peered around it.

Jessica was standing at an exam table, mumbling to herself as she took some measurements on some bones and recorded the information on her tablet. The fluorescent light overhead cast a bright light over the area, making her fair skin seem to glow. Her glossy red hair was pulled away from her face, showing off her delicate profile. Even when she was working with a pile of old bones, she was beautiful. Without thinking, Aubrey let go a low whistle of appreciation.

Startled by the noise, Jessica looked up toward the doorway, and when she realized who her visitor was, she offered a radiant smile. "Agent Aubrey! Wow...what a surprise." She took off her exam gloves and threw them into the trash before reaching up self consciously to smooth her hair. "I mean, I'm glad to see you, but I didn't expect to see you here at all. I know your new job keeps you busy…I hope things are going okay for you, with your new responsibilities and all..."

"You're right...it does keep me busy, but that's no excuse for ignoring my friends." He licked his lips nervously as he stepped into the storeroom. "I mean, I hope you can still think of me as your friend, in spite of everything that's happened. I know I haven't exactly done a good job of staying in touch…I haven't been a very good friend myself."

"Well, neither have I." Pulling over a couple of stools, she motioned for him to sit down. "I wish we'd had more time to talk after the Kovacs case...but I wasn't sure that was a good idea afterwards…since...you know...we weren't..."

"I know. It might've been weird. I get that." He stared at the floor for a few seconds before he continued. "I've had so many regrets about answering my phone that afternoon when you came to see me at the Hoover…I should've stayed to talk to you instead leaving to go talk to Kovacs. I had so much more I wanted to say..."

"You had important things to do with the case…I understood that.", Jessica commented solemnly. "That's your job…you had to do an interrogation to do. You were trying to bring down a killer."

"Yeah, but I should've spent more time with you before I left. They had the suspect under lock and key. They could've waited a few more minutes for me to get there. I know now that working on that case wasn't nearly as important as talking to you about what was going on between us." Suddenly embarrassed, he cleared his throat softly. "Anyway, things at work are fine. I'm glad I decided to stay here in DC. I've learned a lot from Booth about how to run a division. There's a lot of stuff I have to do, but I'm finally getting a handle on it."

"Good. I'm glad you're happy." Nodding, Jessica was subdued as she remembered what else had changed in Aubrey's life recently. "You and Karen seem to have a good thing going, too.", she said softly.

"A good thing?" Aubrey shook his head slightly as he folded his arms over his chest. "I don't know about that. When Karen first came to see me after you and I broke up, it never occurred to me that she wanted anything more than friendship from me…"

Jessica was shocked by Aubrey's statement. "Seriously?! You _cannot_ be that stupid, Aubrey! She's been trying to get you in her bed since the first day she met you. She practically shouted your praises from the rooftops from day one. It would've been more subtle if she'd just worn a neon sign with your name on it around her neck instead. Don't pretend you didn't know how she felt about you." Frustrated with his lack of understanding about the situation, Jessica stood up and walked over to the exam table, turning away from Aubrey so he wouldn't see her angry tears. "She's always had the hots for you…and you just let her waltz right in and take my place, didn't you? She waved some fast food in front of your nose, and you couldn't resist her charms...and then you forgot I even existed."

"No…I didn't forget you..." Realizing that their discussion was about to take a dangerous turn, Aubrey interrupted her. "Well, maybe that was true at the time, but I was upset and hurt over what happened, and I wasn't thinking straight, okay? I was easy prey for anyone who wanted to take advantage of me." He walked over to stand beside Jessica and shrugged sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with her as he continued his confession. "Okay, look...I really don't have an excuse for what happened with Karen except that I was being a fucking moron. I was mad at you, and mad at myself, and I was looking for an easy way to fix things so I wouldn't feel so awful any more. Having Karen around seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was a mistake...a huge mistake. She wanted so much more from a relationship than I could give her. I tried, but...um...I couldn't love her like I love you..." He exhaled softly as he jammed his hands in his pockets. "That's why I ended it with her. It wasn't fair to use her like that...as a substitute for the real thing. I felt like I was lying to her all the time. Being with her... just felt wrong after a while, so I finally broke up with her a couple of weeks ago."

Jessica was surprised at that bit of news. She hesitated a few seconds before her annoyance with Aubrey broke through her stoic exterior. "So...now what? I don't hear from you for months, other than an occasional nod at a crime scene, and I'm supposed to act like that's no big deal that you've been avoiding me? First you ignore me, but now you're bored, and maybe you're lonely, or maybe you're just horny, and so you want me to give you another chance? Things don't work that way with me, Aubrey." Jessica glared at him before she moved away from the table. "I'm not that desperate. I don't have time to wait around for you to decide that you want to be on good terms with me again. I can't spend time worrying about what you want to do. I have my own life to live, and right now I'm doing pretty well without you. It seems like I don't have any need for you in my life after all."

"I thought that was what you wanted, Jessica...for us to be completely over. Karen said you wanted to be left alone, so that's what I did...I didn't want to intrude on your life." Aubrey's spirits sank as he listened to Jessica's tirade. "I know I was wrong...I mean, I know you've got a boyfriend now, and I can't expect you to drop him just because I show up at the lab and tell you that I broke up with Karen, but I was hoping we could be friends again. I miss talking to you." Closing his eyes, his shoulders slumped. "But Scott seems like a nice guy, and I wouldn't want to wreck that for you…"

"I guess he's okay, if you like tall, handsome, intelligent men." Jessica pulled another pair of plastic gloves out of the cardboard box on the exam table. "I need to get back to work."

Thoroughly defeated, Aubrey inhaled deeply, biting his lip as he moved toward the door. "Okay. Maybe I'll see you around…maybe at a crime scene or something like that."

"Maybe." Jessica picked up a femur and pretended to examine it closely. She waited until the agent was about to walk out the door before speaking again. "Aubrey, let's have lunch together today. After all, there's no reason to waste the effort it took for you to get all dressed up in your best suit, right? How about the diner at 12:30? My treat?"

Grinning broadly, Aubrey nodded. "I'll see you then."

Oooooooooo

Hodgins laughed as he described Aubrey's adventure with the fake evidence file to his wife . "I guess he'd brought that folder as camouflage or something, thinking he'd have an excuse to talk to Jessica if he brought some evidence."

"That's kind of silly. Why doesn't he just call her?" Angela typed a few more words on her keyboard before turning to her husband. "That'd be so much easier…"

"I don't know. Maybe he felt like if he showed up in person he wouldn't be able to back out of talking to her like he'd be able to if he called her. He didn't want to chicken out. Besides, if he called her, she could've chosen not to answer. This way at least she had to see him face to face before shutting him down. Anyway, you should've seen him, Angie. He looked like he'd just stepped out of GQ...all dolled up in his best suit, with his hair all combed and his freshly shined shoes. He'd pulled out all the stops to get her attention. Full court press, Baby…"

"But why would he do that? Why make all the effort to see Jessica...unless...wait! He must've broken up with Karen!" Angela's face lit up with a happy smile. "Finally! I never did like the way that bitch manipulated Jessica into pretending to break up with Aubrey, thinking that would make him stay in DC. That was a horrible idea. Then they ended up really broken up, and Karen took advantage of the situation by glomming onto Aubrey."

"Yeah, but I think Jessica has moved on, right?" Hodgins rolled his eyes at Angela's enthusiasm. "Isn't she dating that blonde guy who's interning in Egyptology? You set them up, didn't you? What's his name? Scooter? Skipper?"

"It's Scott, Hodgins. She went out with him a few times, but from what she told me yesterday, I don't think she's all that impressed with him. She definitely doesn't like him the same way she likes Aubrey…" Angela's brow furrowed as she thought over the situation. "Hmm...I wonder if the two of them will get back together…maybe I can help that happen...Jessica and Aubrey make such a cute couple..."

"No way, Angie...no matchmaking." Hodgins shook his finger at his wife as he glared at her. "They have to work this out on their own, okay? I know you want them to be happy, but…stay out of it, okay?"

"But they're our friends and I want to help them." Seeing that Hodgins wasn't going to give in, she nodded slowly. "Okay, okay. I'll be good. They can work it out themselves. I'll be hands off and I'll keep my opinions to myself should either of them ask me for advice."

"Promise?"

Sighing in resignation, Angela nodded reluctantly. "I promise."

"Good." Hodgins turned his wheelchair toward the office's doorway. "I've got to go check on some test results from the mass spectrometer. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. See you later." After watching him go over to his office, Angela accessed her favorite search engine on her computer. "I'm not supposed to play matchmaker, but maybe I can give the two of them a jumpstart towards getting back together. Let's see what we have here...that'll be perfect…and that...and one of those..." She smiled in satisfaction as she clicked on the icons that popped up on her screen. "Excellent. Just what I need to give those two a little push in the right direction. Maybe with a little help they can have a happy Valentine's Day this year."


	4. Chapter 4

Jessica squirmed slightly as she sat at the table in front of the diner's picture window, feeling somewhat anxious as she waited for her companion to arrive. _This is silly...why am I feeling so weird? Why do I even care? It's only Aubrey…_ except it wasn't _only_ Aubrey. It was a man she cared for deeply...the only man she'd ever really loved.

She nervously smoothed the front of her green V neck sweater, glad that she'd chosen to wear it today. Her Superman had always complimented her when she wore it, saying the deep emerald green brought out the color of her eyes. It had been a happy coincidence, but she was pleased that things had worked out that way.

 _Seriously? This is Aubrey you're talking about...you're supposed to be mad at him, remember? He was going to take a promotion in Los Angeles without seeing how you felt about it…he just assumed you'd run after him to California, remember?_

Yes, of course she remembered...she remembered everything that had happened over that week several months ago. She had been very angry with him at the time, especially when he casually mentioned his possible move to LA all those months ago. _Who asks someone to make a life changing decision at a crime scene? How stupid is that?_ Jessica was still fuming over Aubrey's apparent lack of propriety. _He could've at least waited until we were indoors...even at the lab would've been more appropriate...instead out in the middle of some vacant field while we were looking for human remains..._

However, as she'd thought over the matter during the past few weeks, she'd realized she might've been partly to blame for how Aubrey had handled things. After all, when he first explained how he felt...that he was serious about her...her response had been somewhat less than enthusiastic. Recalling that evening once again, she groaned softly as she realized she hadn't given him any encouragement...no hint that she might be serious about him as well. Instead, her first instinct had been to run in the opposite direction. She had basically shrugged him off after he opened up his heart and soul for her inspection, because she'd been worried that he wanted too much from her. It wasn't like she _needed_ to have a man around, either. After all, she'd been on her own for years, taking care of herself without any help from anyone else. Would she be able to allow someone else to share control of a relationship with her? How would she be able to handle all the responsibilities that went with being in a loving relationship? It seemed overwhelming when she first considered it, and based on his unhappy expression, those feelings must've been evident in her frown and in the uncomfortable silence that had surrounded them.

So if he was going strictly by her reaction to his statement about wanting to be serious, then maybe he felt like she wasn't ready to make the commitment to move across the country with him. Maybe he didn't think she'd be interested in anything long term, so he was trying to let her get out of their relationship gracefully. Maybe he thought that was what she really wanted after all, so he did the polite thing and asked her to join him, but assumed that she'd say no. Honor would then be satisfied, and maybe then they could merrily go their separate ways without another thought.

 _Unfortunately, I don't know what I want, do I?_ Jessica had known she didn't want to move to California, but she was unprepared for how happy she'd felt when she found out Aubrey had chosen to stay...happy, that is, until she'd discovered that he was seeing Karen on a regular basis. _But I guess that's over now…_

Cringing in embarrassment as she remembered how she'd scolded Aubrey earlier that morning, Jessica shook her head. Maybe she wasn't really angry with him anymore. Maybe she was actually more angry with herself. And seriously...why would she have asked Karen for relationship advice, of all people? Why hadn't she talked to Angela, or to Dr. Brennan? Instead of consulting two women who were involved in long term, loving relationships with wonderful men, she'd chosen to ask Karen about how to deal with Aubrey. _That was crazy! Why did I do that?!_ To think what she might've lost Aubrey forever because she'd been so stupid as to actually do what Karen had suggested...to break up with someone she loved to force his hand...especially knowing how anxious Karen was to have Aubrey for herself. _God, I'm an idiot...and it almost worked, didn't it?_

At least now it looked as if Jessica might have a second chance with him. She'd been pleasantly surprised when her Superman had shown up in bone storage this morning, and he'd seemed glad to see her as well. He didn't walk away when her anger erupted into a tongue lashing, so maybe he was willing to overlook her stupid mistakes. She could only hope so...she desperately wanted to try to have a relationship with him again. She'd missed him terribly...

Her reverie was interrupted when she saw him enter the diner. He was grinning from ear to ear as he approached the table where she was sitting. He hesitated bashfully before sitting down. "Hey…mind if I join you?"

"Hey, yourself. Of course, I don't mind. After all, I invited you to meet me." Jessica found she couldn't help but smile at the handsome man sitting across from her. "I've only been here a few minutes, so I haven't ordered yet." She glanced around the crowded dining room. "I hope we won't have to wait too long…I know you're probably in a hurry."

"Not really." He winked at her before turning to his menu. "I told Shaw that I was taking a few extra minutes at lunch today. I've got some comp time coming, so I decided to use a half hour for lunch this afternoon." Smiling at their waitress, he ordered his usual double meat, double cheese hamburger, a double order of onion rings, and an extra large chocolate shake. Seeing Jessica's slight grimace, he chuckled. "I know you said lunch would be your treat, but I think it'll be easier if we go Dutch." Sipping his water, he avoided eye contact with her as he asked the question that had bothered him for several days. "So, Scott, huh? An Egyptologist? Does that mean he's gonna take you to Egypt with him after you go to New York for the musical?"

"He is an Egyptologist, but I'm not going anywhere with him." Seeing Aubrey's confusion, Jessica continued softly. "I've decided not to see him anymore…"

"Why? He seems nice." Aubrey suddenly blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry...I know it's not any of my business…I didn't mean to be nosy…I just thought...I mean, you seemed happy with him...like you liked him..and he's kind of a scientist...an archaeologist is a scientist, right? And he's tall...God, I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Giggling as she reached for her glass, Jessica shook her head. "No, you're really not. As for Scott...well, let's just say that we could only talk about mummies and pyramids for so long before I got bored. He knows a lot about the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt and a lot about lacrosse, and that's about the extent of his knowledge." Jessica motioned for Aubrey to lean across the table towards her. "Would you believe he doesn't even know who Lando Calrissian is?"

"No! Really? What's wrong with the dude?" Aubrey paused as their server brought their lunch. Grabbing the ketchup bottle, he rolled his eyes playfully. "I mean, it's not like that's some sort of obscure character in the Star Wars universe…"

"I know, right?" Jessica took a bite of her club sandwich. "Of course, that wasn't the real problem. I wouldn't expect everyone to have the encyclopedic knowledge of Star Wars like you do, Aubrey, but the guy wasn't even willing to _learn._ Even though he knew how much I enjoyed the movies, he never would give them a chance. He said he wasn't into Sci Fi and fantasy, except for maybe _The Mummy_ or _Star Gate_ …and he thought it was too late in his life to try something different...that he was too grown up to enjoy something new."

"He doesn't know what he's missing, does he?" Aubrey laughed to himself. He and Jessica had played out several fantasies together in the past, and he was glad to hear that Scott hadn't been able to partake of any of them. "Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste." He gave her a sidelong glance. "He is tall, though…I thought that's what you liked in a guy."

Jessica shrugged as she studied her glass. "I said I liked tall, handsome, intelligent guys. That's, um...that's why I wanted to have lunch with you."

"Aw…that's sweet." Aubrey's heart did a flip as he saw her shy smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jessica turned to the window and watched the passersby for a minute or two before asking the question that had been bothering _her._ "So...Karen…"

"Yeah." Aubrey noisily sipped a bit of his shake out of its tall glass. "Not really something I'm proud of…"

"I don't think it's anything to be embarrassed about." Jessica turned to face her friend and smiled. "She's not stupid...she knows a good thing when she sees it. Anyway, you were single, and you had every right to date who you pleased…"

"I hadn't been single that long, Jess." Aubrey had hoped to avoid this line of questioning over lunch, but he knew he had to get past this point if there was any hope of making things right with his former lover. "I basically turned into a fickle little bastard when I was exposed to a large barrel of extra spicy. extra crispy fried chicken. All she had to do was pass that food under my nose, and I would've followed her anywhere. The worst part, though, was that I kept following her around, even though I knew better…even though I knew I wasn't over you." Sighing softly, he reached over to pat Jessica's hand. "I'm a better man than that, you know? At least I hope I am. And even if I wasn't hurting you, I was hurting Karen by pretending to be someone who loved her. That's the part I'm not proud of. It actually kind of makes me sick to my stomach to think I was acting that way."

"I see." Quickly pulling her hand away, Jessica folded her hands in her lap. "So no cruise to the Bahamas for Valentine's Day?"

"Nope. After we broke up she decided to take a new position with the Bureau's field office in Albuquerque. She left last week." Aubrey snickered as he ate the last of his french fries. "You know what's funny? She's not really fond of cats, and whenever she came to my apartment, Skinner would try to sit on her lap or to rub all over her. How do cats always know which people don't like them? Every time she tried to shoo him away, he'd meow loudly and rub on her even more."

"I guess it worked, since she left." Trying to ignore the passing reference about Karen being at his apartment, Jessica laughed quietly. "Skinner is one smart cat, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is." Taking a bite of his pie, Aubrey glanced across the table. "So what are you going to do for Valentine's Day since going to the musical with Scott is off the menu?"

"Nothing. Like Dr. B says, it isn't a real holiday. It was invented by greeting card companies to sell products." Jessica stirred some sugar into her coffee. "I'm just going to stay home and watch an old movie."

"Well, no matter what Dr. B says, I happen to know that Booth has something special planned for her, but it's a surprise." Aubrey fidgeted with his napkin. "However, I'm not doing anything special either, but that's okay. I don't think I'm gonna feel like it…"

"Yeah, me neither. I'm just gonna enjoy having some quiet time at home."

"Me, too." Disappointed by the unhappy turn in their conversation, Aubrey decided to change the subject. "Guess what? I finally broke down and ordered all of the episodes of the original _Lost in Space_ to stream from Amazon. I'd forgotten about all of the campy goodness in that show." He bent his arms at the elbows and moved his forearms up and down as he spoke in a robotic voice. "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!"

Jessica giggled at the show Aubrey was putting on. "Really? I'd like to see them sometime."

"I think we can arrange that. How about…" He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He glanced at it before putting down on the table. "...maybe next Saturday? We can do a marathon binge watch of Season 1…"

"Don't you need to get that?" Jessica pointed at the phone as it rang again. "It's probably work…"

"I know it's work. I'm pretty sure someone's found a body somewhere, and so now I've got a new case to deal with." Aubrey gave Jessica a conspiratorial wink. "I'm going to wait until my lunch with you is over to call them back…"

"Aubrey!" Jessica was shocked. "I can't believe you'd do that! It could be important!"

"I'm sure it is, but I can guarantee it's not as important to me as you are." He picked up his phone and quickly sent a text. "Anyway, I'm the Special Agent _in Charge._ I just sent Agents Bower and Newcomb out to begin the initial inspection of the crime scene, and I'll meet them out there shortly." He scooped up another bite of pie. "So about _Lost in Space..._ How about my place on Saturday afternoon? I'll make some of my special chicken and pepperjack nachos, and you can bring the beer. C'mon...it would make Skinner really happy to see his Aunt Jessica…"

"Well, he has been a good cat, hasn't he?" Thinking over Aubrey's offer, Jessica finally nodded. "Okay, I guess I can come over on Saturday...for a little while anyway."

"Excellent." Aubrey waved at the waitress and asked for the bills. "I tell you what...I'll pay for lunch today…"

"No, you said we'd go Dutch." She stuck out her hand. "Give me mine…"

"Oh, okay." He handed her the piece of paper and smiled. "Still independent, aren't you?"

"Always." Smiling, she pulled on her coat. "I enjoyed having lunch with you, Aubrey. It was fun talking to you again. I've missed this...how much fun we have together."

"Yeah, I enjoyed it, too. So I'll see you Saturday at one, right?" He gave her a hopeful smile. "Don't forget…"

"Yes, I'll be there." Aware of the awkward pause between them, she slowly turned toward the door. "Um...I'll see you later. Bye…"

Aubrey bit his lip, hoping to resist the urge to kiss her. His eyes lingered on her lips for just a few seconds too long before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "I guess I better head out to see what my agents are up to. I don't want them to provoke Dr. Brennan any more than they normally do. Um...Bye."

He followed her out the door and they stood on the sidewalk's corner together, waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street. He desperately wanted to say all sorts of suave and romantic things to make Jessica fall into his arms, but nothing came to mind.

Finally the 'walk' sign came up, and Aubrey started across the street, away from the woman of his dreams. He waved as he watched her walk away from him. It was struggle to keep from cheering wildly as he thought of her actually spending time with him this weekend. Maybe she'd be willing to forgive him. It looked like his plan to spend two weeks wooing her back might work after all.

Jessica waved back to him and turned to quickly walk back to the Jeffersonian, trying to keep from skipping happily down the street. Dr. B might be annoyed because she was coming back a few minutes late from lunch, but it had been worth it since she'd finally gotten to talk some things out with Aubrey, and, much to her delight, he'd even asked her to spend some time with him over the weekend. Maybe he was still interested in her after all. It looked like her plan to win him back in two weeks might work after all.


	5. Chapter 5

A sleepy Aubrey reached over to slap at his alarm as it went off early Monday morning. He lay in bed for a minute, gathering his thoughts before heading to the shower. Scratching his belly as he yawned and stretched, he couldn't help but grin. Things were finally looking up in his life. It had been a wonderful weekend.

He toweled off after showering and threw on some boxers before ambling into the kitchen to feed the cat. As he watched the coffee brew and stirred his pan of eggs, he nodded in satisfaction as he remembered how well things had gone with his favorite redhead. His two week program seemed to be right on track. He sat at the kitchen counter and ate his omelet, humming happily at the prospect. He was definitely on the right track...

oooooooooo

He'd thoroughly cleaned his apartment that Saturday morning in anticipation of his special visitor, making extra care to vacuum up as much cat hair as possible from the sofa. He put a pan of his special loaded chicken supreme nachos in the oven right before his guest was expected to arrive, and made sure his television was cued up and ready to air the episodes he'd selected.

He'd enjoyed _Lost in Space_ reruns as a small boy, and it always gave him a pleasant rush of nostalgia when he watched the show again, even though his sci fi palate had developed a taste for more sophisticated programming, like _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek. Lost in Space_ just couldn't be beat for campy goodness, and he was looking forward to sharing his memories with his favorite person.

Jessica had been her usual punctual self, showing up at one o'clock on the dot with a couple of six packs of cold Yuenglings. "I knew we'd need a lot of beer with all those hot pepper cheese you put on your nachos…along with those extra pickled jalapenos..."

"But you like them that way, right?" He felt a little anxious as she put the beer in the refrigerator, wondering if he'd already forgotten all the small details he'd learned about her when they were first dating.

"Oh, yeah. The hotter, the better." She flashed a dazzling smile as she turned to face him, taking his breath away. "Is the first episode ready?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" He pointed the remote at the television. "Here we go."

He found it hard to concentrate as he noticed how cute she looked in her navy blue sweatshirt and her snug jeans. Shaking off his horny thoughts about what she might be wearing under those clothes, he continued as nonchalantly as he could. "So you know the basic story, right? A pioneering family in 1997 leaves the overcrowded Earth and takes to space. Their ship is sabotaged and goes off course, leading to loads of cool adventures."

"Really? 1997? That was supposed to be far in the future?" Jessica rolled her eyes. "And why do you like this show so much? It seems kind of silly."

He hit the pause button. "It was far in the future considering this show was made in the sixties. Watching it brings back good memories for me. I used to watch it in reruns on Saturday afternoons when I was a little boy." Disappointed in Jessica's lack of enthusiasm for one of his favorite shows, Aubrey shrugged. "You don't have to watch it with me. We can find something else on Amazon. At least the nachos will be good."

Realizing she might've hurt Aubrey's feelings, Jessica rushed to explain. "I want to watch it. I guess I just didn't know what it was really about. Come on...play some more of the episode."

They'd spent the better part of the afternoon watching several episodes from the first season of the show, with Jessica on one end of the couch and him on the other end, and a cookie sheet of nachos between them. He was careful not to brush her hand as he reached for a cheese laden chip, not wanting to scare her off. She was still skittish about being around him, it seemed, as she sat perched on the sofa cushion, watching him from the corner of her eye.

It was six in the evening when he picked up the cookie sheet and carried it into the kitchen. "More nachos, Jess?"

"Nah, I'm full. Two helpings is enough. They were great, though. Thanks." She followed him, carrying the empty bottles to the recycling bin under the sink. She turned around to say something and he found himself nose to nose with her. They were so close...he could feel her breath on his lips...he noticed her familiar warm scent as he looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"I'm...glad.", he stammered, slightly annoyed because she'd made him feel so helpless as his body responded to her proximity. "I always enjoy watching my favorite shows more when I have company."

"Me, too...especially when the company's good." She turned away demurely. "But I've been here all day. Maybe I should go home…"

"What? No!" He was scrambling for a way to get her to stay. "You don't need to go home yet, Jess. Maybe we can watch something else...or...I know...let's walk down to Mr. Leonelli's store and get some gelato...or cheesecake, if you'd rather have that. It's a nice night…and after all those nachos, a walk will do us good."

"Alright…" She tilted her head to one side and smiled up at him. "Maybe a little bit of gelato would be nice…"

*/*/*/*/*/

They strolled down the street in front of Leonelli's Delicatessen, laughing and talking like old times as they enjoyed their ice cream. After an hour or so, they returned to Aubrey's apartment and watched part of a Michigan State basketball game. Finally, Jessica stifled a yawn as she rose from the sofa. "I really should head for home. I need to get up early tomorrow to get some things done around my place."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll let you go." He grinned as she pulled on her jacket. "I had a great time today. I enjoyed spending time with you."

"I had fun, too." She finished her keys out of her pocket. "So...maybe I'll call you tomorrow?"

"I'd like that...a lot." He moved to open the door for her. "See you soon."

"Yeah. See ya." She hesitated slightly. "Maybe next week…"

She was so close, and he couldn't resist any longer. He quickly bent down to kiss her cheek, hoping he wouldn't get slapped. "Night..."

She smiled as she reached up to stroke his face. "Good night." And then she was gone.

He waited until he knew she was safely out of earshot, and then he let out a loud whoop. Things were definitely going well.

*/*/*/*/*/

She'd surprised him when she called on Sunday, just wanting to chat. It had been a long time since he'd spent all day on the phone with her, talking to each other as they did all the mundane chores that had to be done on a Sunday afternoon.

He was even more surprised when she asked him to come over for pizza Sunday evening. He couldn't even pretend to think it over before accepting the invitation, wanting to make sure she didn't have the opportunity to change her mind.

It was just like old times...they'd eaten dinner and watched some silly Japanese horror movie on television. They'd had so much fun making up their own dialog for the people in the movie...

And then it was time to leave. She was standing so close to him, and he'd wanted so badly to pull her even closer, but he knew better. She wasn't quite there yet, and he didn't want to scare her away. He needed to be patient, even though it was killing him.

"So can I see you later this week? Maybe for lunch?", he'd asked hopefully. "I mean, if you want to...I'd like it a lot…"

"I suppose." She'd offered up a beautiful smile, obviously enjoying the idea of them spending time together. "If you're not too busy…"

He grinned before he turned to leave. "Trust me, Jess...I'll never be too busy for you."

Oooooooooo

Aubrey was a happy man when he came to work on Monday morning, greeting the agents in his division cheerfully as he walked through the bullpen. The difference in his demeanor from the previous week was so extreme that even his coworkers commented on it among themselves.

Agent Bower nudged Agent Newcomb and nodded toward the Special Agent in Charge as he unlocked his office door. "Looks like someone got laid this weekend."

Agent Newcomb looked at her partner in disgust. "Shut up, Steve. Is that all you ever think about? Anyway, it's none of our business. I'm just glad he's happy for a change. He's been miserable these last couple of months. I mean, how many times has he yelled at you during the last two weeks for doing something stupid? It was even more than usual..."

"Whatever, Michelle." Bower watched as Assistant in Agent in Charge Shaw walked toward the office and then chuckled as he pulled out his phone. "He may not be so happy when he finds out none of our leads on the Harwell case have panned out."

"Maybe they haven't panned out because you're so focused on things other than work.", a voice growled from behind them.

"What the hell? Mind your own damn business…" Agent Bower spun around in his chair and came face to face with a large angry man. "um...Agent Booth. Oh, hi...we were just talking about the case, right, Newcomb?"

"Yeah...the case." Agent Newcomb, wanting to avoid eye contact with an irritated Special Agent Booth, was concentrating on her computer monitor. "We're gonna go interview a person of interest in the Harwell case…we're leaving in a few minutes."

"Hopefully, you'll pay more attention to your suspect than you did at the crime scene. Dr. Brennan wasn't impressed with the way you trampled over everything in that field, Bower. She's pretty sure you obliterated important evidence." Clearing his throat, Booth nodded toward Aubrey's office. "Is he in?"

"Yeah." Bower stood up and grabbed his phone and keys. "We really are gonna go talk to someone…"

"Great, Bower. That's just great." Booth was grim as he walked away. "It's about time you actually did some work around here. Good luck."

Oooooooooo

"Hey, Aubrey." Booth leaned against the office door frame. "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just telling Shaw about my weekend." Aubrey wore a silly grin as he sat back in his chair. "What's going on with you?"

"I just wondered if you've had a chance to run that errand for me." Booth seemed nervous as he glanced at Shaw. "You know…"

"Yeah, I know. Everything's been taken care of."

Shaw was about to ask what was going on when Agent Newcomb knocked on the door. "Hey, Boss...the mailroom sent this up for you...special delivery…" She handed him a medium sized hot pink gift bag. "Okay, Steve and I are leaving…"

"Try to keep that asshole under control, Michelle. He's giving the division a bad name." Smirking at her sour expression, Aubrey turned to his gift. "I wonder what this is…"

"Is there a card?" Shaw peered over her boss's shoulder. "Open it…"

"I can't find a card or any sort of name tag." Aubrey pulled a bundle of sparkly white tissue paper out of the bag and slowly unwrapped the object before setting it on his desk. "Hmm…"

It was a large shiny white coffee mug emblazoned with glittering red hearts. There was a sentence printed in gold letters on one side of the cup, which read _I want my men to be like my coffee: Hot and Strong._

"Very fancy." Booth snickered as he raised an eyebrow at his friend. "A Valentine's gift already? It's a little early for that, isn't it, Lover Boy?"

Shaw took the bag from Aubrey and inspected it closely. "There isn't a card anywhere. Maybe Karen sent it."

"Trust me...Karen wasn't in the mood to send me gifts the last time I saw her." _Could this be from Jessica? No. This isn't her style. She'd bring me the package herself…"_

Genny giggled as she watched Aubrey inspect his mug. "It looks like you have a secret admirer, Boss."

"That's all I need right now…" Aubrey cringed as he set the cup on the counter behind his desk. "I mean, it's a nice cup, but still...it's kinda creepy, isn't it?"

"Not really." Booth shrugged a shoulder at his friend. "There's probably some logical explanation for getting a fancy mug like that. I know...I bet your buddy Bower thought it would be cute to send you a little gift. We all know how much he loves you..."

"Now that _is_ creepy." Shuddering in disgust, Aubrey pushed the bag aside. "Anyway, I've got work to do, so I don't have time to worry about that right now..."

Booth sat back in his chair, and laughed. "If it wasn't Karen, who could it be?" Seeing Aubrey's scowl, he continued. "Oh, come on. You didn't think you were gonna get off that easy, did you? I know…" Booth's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "It was Jessica, wasn't it? She's not mad at you anymore…maybe she wants to get back together. You'd like that, wouldn't you? I mean, you're still crazy about her. No use to deny it...I can tell."

Aubrey could feel the blush creeping across his cheeks as he listened to Booth, knowing he couldn't hide anything from his friend, even if he wanted to. He shrugged bashfully. "Well, I don't think she's mad at me anymore, but this just isn't her style, you know? She doesn't go for cutesy surprises like this. She'd probably send me something more sciency instead, like maybe a cup with the chemical formula for caffeine on it, or something like that."

"I guess it's just another mystery for the FBI to solve." Agent Shaw laughed as her phone rang. "Oh, I need to take this call. It's Agent Geren calling about the Harrison case. I'll talk to you guys later."

As she left, Booth leaned forward in his chair. "So you've got the tickets?"

Aubrey pulled an envelope out of his desk drawer. "Right here. Cyndi Lauper. Seats 11 and 12, Row 7, in the orchestra section...Madison Square Garden. Dr. B will love it."

"I hope so. It's hard to fool her, you know? But I think she'll be surprised, and I know she'll enjoy it. Thanks for taking care of it, Buddy. Here…" Booth passed a check over to his friend. "I appreciate it." He watched as the younger man put the check in his wallet. "So what are you doing for Valentine's Day?"

"Not much. You know, watch TV...eat Chinese take out...stuff like that. No big deal. Just another day." Turning toward his computer, Aubrey pulled up a file. "Do you need me to watch your kids while you're on your trip?"

"Nope. They're gonna spend the weekend with Russ and Amy while we're away. The kids don't get to see their cousins very often, so it works out real well. Besides, I didn't want to impose. I figured you'd have a date…"

"It doesn't look like that's gonna happen." Looking at the weather map on the computer screen, Aubrey shook his head. "It's probably a good thing you're going to New York over the upcoming weekend. It looks like the weather is gonna be bad on the fourteenth, so it won't make much difference if I don't have any plans. They're calling for heavy snow. Who knows? I may be glad to go right home after work."

"Yeah...I guess." Rising from his chair, Booth grimaced slightly. "You know, I bet if you give Jessica a call…"

"Let's not go there, okay?" Aubrey was interrupted by his ringing phone. "Aubrey...yeah, okay. Thanks." He sighed as he hung up. "Great. What a way to start the day. That was Stark. I gotta go...budget shit, you know?"

"Okay. See ya later." Booth patted his jacket pocket as he stood to leave. "Thanks again…"

"No problem." Waving at Booth as he left, Aubrey stepped into the elevator and rode down the floor to where Stark's office was situated, humming a pleasant little tune. "No date for Valentine's Day...not yet...but hopefully that will change very soon…."


	6. Chapter 6

Jessica was feeling distracted as she stood in front of her locker Monday morning. Her mind wandered as she buttoned her blue lab coat over her dress and got ready for work. Pulling her hair back into a sleek ponytail, she once again pondered over the events of the previous weekend.

It seemed like she and Aubrey had been able to pick up where they'd left off all those months ago. It had been so easy, like they had never been apart...like the break up had never happened. Was it possible that they could still enjoy spending time together after everything that had happened?

Closing her locker, she nodded happily. It was true. They could be a couple again. Her goal was in sight. It seemed all she had to do was to reach out and take it.

Oooooooooo

She'd been hesitant to accept an invitation to hang out with Aubrey at his apartment all of Saturday afternoon, worrying that it might be awkward, but things had gone better than she had expected. They were still just as comfortable with each other as they had been in the past. He had been a perfect gentleman, just as he always had been. There had been no attempt to put her in an uncomfortable situation, or to push her into something physical...something that she wasn't ready for yet. All he had wanted was for her to be happy and to have a good time.

Of course, it didn't hurt that he was a very attractive man, even when he wasn't wearing his best suit. He'd been comfortably dressed in a pair of jeans and a Syracuse sweatshirt, both of which showed off his lean frame to perfection. Add to that the fact that he was an excellent cook, and he was practically irresistible.

However, it was that sweet kiss on the cheek as she got ready to leave Saturday evening that had sealed the deal. Jessica giggled softly as she leaned against the locker's door. No matter what Karen had said all those months ago, it was obvious Aubrey still had feelings for her, and her own feelings had responded in kind. She was still quite smitten with her Superman.

As she walked down the hall toward the lab, Jessica found herself once again focusing on Karen's deception. At one time, she had trusted Karen completely, never once considering that the profiler might have an ulterior motive for making the convincing argument that breaking up with Aubrey was the best thing to do.

It hadn't hit her until a few weeks after the breakup, when she saw Karen and Aubrey together as a 'couple' for the first time. The two of them were having lunch at the diner, and obviously enjoying themselves tremendously. Karen was glowing with happiness as she gazed at Aubrey, who was wearing a flirty grin. Karen giggled at something he'd said, and he seemed pleased that she was paying him such close attention as he regaled her with a story about his adventures as an FBI agent. They didn't even notice as Jessica walked over to the counter to pick up her order. There was no wave...not a even a glance in her direction. They were too enthralled with each other.

It seemed at the time that all Jessica could do was watch from the sidelines as her former lover and her former friend became a loving couple. Aubrey had decided to take a promotion in DC instead of moving across the country, and Karen was the reason why, or so it appeared at the time.

Now, thanks to her recent conversations with Aubrey, Jessica knew better. Smiling to herself as walked up the steps to the lab platform, she almost pitied Karen. It was hard to find a good man like James, and harder still to lose him, but evidently he had never belonged to Karen in the first place. His heart had always belonged to someone else...and that someone else just happened to be Jessica Warren.

She nodded as she accessed some files at the computer station. It seemed like the ball was in her court now. All she had to do was to decide was what she wanted...like whether or not she wanted Aubrey back into her life on a permanent basis.

After the past weekend, the decision seemed to be an easy one. Even after spending most of Saturday together, they had spent almost two hours on the phone yesterday, talking about all sorts of random things as they each tried to accomplish their household chores. Then, on the spur of the moment, she'd called him later that evening and invited him over for pizza last night, and he quickly agreed. They'd had dinner and watched _Godzilla vs Mothra_ on television, laughing at the silliness of the movie.

When it was time to leave, he'd asked if they could have lunch together sometime in the upcoming week, and when she agreed, he'd given her a gentle hug before saying good night. It was all very tender...and also very chaste, which suited Jessica well at the moment. There would be plenty of time for the physical part of their relationship to resurface, if that was what she wanted. _I need to be careful...I need to know what I want…I don't want another broken heart…_

The young woman's pleasant reverie was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind her. "Good morning, Ms. Warren."

Startled and embarrassed, Jessica turned quickly and saw Dr. Brennan watching her from the foot of the platform steps. "Oh, good morning, Dr. Brennan." Blushing, she turned back to the computer. "I was just accessing the files for the Harwell case…"

"I see." Brennan smiled faintly as she arched an eyebrow at her intern. "I need you to come to my office immediately."

"What? Um...okay." A look of concern crossed Jessica's face as she walked toward her mentor. "Of course. I'll be right there. Is something wrong? I thought I was on time this morning…"

Brennan glanced around the lab before waving toward her office. "I have something I need to discuss with you...at once...in private."

"Alright." Following Brennan to her office, Jessica stood in the doorway, twisting a strand of red hair nervously. "I'm sorry, Dr. B. I know I was distracted when I first got to work this morning. I'll pay better attention..."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize, Ms. Warren. It was not my intention to cause you concern." Brennan grinned as she pointed to the chair in front of her desk and then sat down at her computer. "I'm afraid that I've been preoccupied this morning as well. I've been trying to purchase a gift for Booth for Valentine's Day, and I've encountered a rather frustrating issue."

"Oh?" Tilting her head, Jessica looked at her mentor in surprise. "What sort of issue?"

"Well, I'm concerned that Booth will suspect what I have in mind for his gift. When we combined our finances a few years ago, I gave up my personal account, so now if I order something online, even with my credit card, Booth knows what I'm buying. Normally that's not an issue, but I want to buy some hockey tickets for a Philadelphia Flyers game in Montreal…"

"And you're afraid he'll see the transaction and the surprise will be spoiled. No problem, Dr. B. I can order them for you with my credit card and have them available for pick up at the ticket office. When do you want to go?"

"The game is at the end of the month. You can find the dates on the Canadiens' website. Of course, I'll reimburse you, Ms. Warren…"

"Oh, I know." Jessica pulled out her phone and found the appropriate site. "Here we go. What level of seating do you want?"

"Box seats or something comparable. I'd like the best seats available."

"Okay...they still have some on the visitor's side on centre ice…"

"Perfect." Brennan beamed with pleasure. "Please purchase two seats together.

"Alright...two seats together in section 101 for Monday, February 26th, 7:30 pm." Jessica nodded as she placed the order. "I'll just use my credit card...and they'll be waiting for you at the gate. Here...we can print out the receipt and confirmation number."

"Excellent." Brennan took her wallet out of her purse and handed her intern 3 one hundred dollar bills and 2 twenties. "Will this be enough?"

"It was 330 dollars...so I owe you ten…" Jessica smiled shyly. "I have a ten dollar bill in my purse. I'll bring it to you after lunch today."

"No hurry, Ms. Warren. I appreciate your assistance. I'm sure Booth will be pleased as well." She took the pages off her printer. "I'll put these papers in a gift bag for him and present it to him on Valentine's Day."

"Will you need someone to babysit with Hank and Christine while you're gone? I don't mind…", Jessica began. "I love being with them."

"Thank you, but they'll be staying with Angela and Hodgins while we're in Montreal." Brennan's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "We're going to leave Friday evening and then return Tuesday afternoon, but Booth doesn't know that yet...sort of a romantic getaway." She chuckled softly. "I've already asked Agent Aubrey to talk to Director Stark about Booth's time off, so he'll be completely surprised."

As she heard Aubrey's name mentioned, Jessica cringed as she felt herself blushing again. Looking to make a hasty retreat, she quickly rose from her chair. "Well, I'd better get back to work…"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you, Ms. Warren." Hodgins wheeled himself into Brennan's office. "This was delivered for you a few minutes ago." He held out a gift. "Looks like you have an admirer."

"Wow...they're really pretty, aren't they?" Jessica ran her finger gently over the three velvety red rose buds, which were ensconced in a tall crystal vase. "Wasn't there a card?"

"Here…" Hodgins held out a small pink envelope. "I wanted to peek, but...you know…"

Quickly opening the envelope, Jessica read the message aloud. " _3 red roses to remind you that I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll love you forever."_ She turned it over and shrugged. "No name…"

"I believe we can make a logical supposition about the origin of your gift, Ms. Warren." Brennan winked broadly at Hodgins. "I would imagine this is some of Agent Aubrey's handiwork. He does have a tendency to employ the overtly romantic gesture from time to time."

"I don't know…", Hodgins commented with a soft chuckle. "It could be Scott…"

Jessica shook her head. "I don't think it's Scott. He and I didn't end our relationship on the best of terms. I suppose it could be Aubrey…" Biting her lip, Jessica ran her fingers over the roses again before inhaling their sweet perfume. "...but he knows that I really don't like cut flowers like this. I've told him several times that I think they're a waste of money…"

"Yeah, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to get the job done. If Aubrey thought he needed to get your attention…" Hodgins raised an eyebrow. "...this might be the way he'd do it, to show you that money was no object when it came to winning your heart."

"But if that was true, wouldn't he sign the card? I mean, why go to all the trouble and the expense to send me flowers and then not sign the card? An anonymous gift seems to defeat the purpose." Jessica stood with her hands on her hips. "That doesn't sound like him at all. I'd think he'd be more likely to bring me the flowers himself. Besides, I'm not sure I'd want someone to think they have to spend money to win my affections. I'd rather give my affections to someone who wants me to like them for who they are."

Brennan nodded in agreement. "I find I must agree with Ms. Warren's assessment. This doesn't seem like a plan that Aubrey would implement, knowing Ms. Warren as well as he does." She turned to Jessica and smiled. "It would seem, however, that you do have a secret admirer."

"But I'm not sure I want one…" Jessica sighed in frustration. "Why can't whoever it is just come out and say what they mean?"

"That, my dear Ms. Warren, would take all of the fun out of the surprise when you find out who it is." Hodgins chuckled as he turned to leave. "I'll let you two get back to work. I've got tests running."

Feeling awkward at being the center of attention, Jessica cringed slightly as she looked at her flowers again. "I guess I'll go put these in my locker…I don't really want to keep them on the lab platform where they could get knocked over and contaminate something."

"I think that would be a wise choice." Brennan smiled as she bent down to enjoy the roses' fragrance. "I suppose you are correct when you say that cut flowers are a waste of money, Ms. Warren, but sometimes these little extravagances are most enjoyable, especially if they come from someone who cares about you. Anyway, if nothing else, the sentiment on the card was quite beautiful. It would seem that someone loves you very much."

"I suppose that's true." Jessica turned away from her mentor, sighing softly as she got ready to leave the office. "However, it would be much more interesting if I knew who that someone was."

Oooooooooo

Jessica worked on cleaning the bones for a few hours, intent on providing Aubrey's Major Crimes division some much needed evidence for the Harwell case. She was so focused on her task that she didn't hear her phone ring immediately. When she finally reached for it, she'd missed the call. Annoyed, she was about to see who had called her when the phone rang again, startling her.

"Hello?!" She dropped her phone and then she knocked her stool over as she tried to pick it up again. "Hello? Are you still there?"

"Jess? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Aubrey. I'm just working, that's all...oh, and I dropped my phone, but it's still working." She exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me today." Aubrey chuckled to himself as he imagined her surprise. "I'm craving some Thai…and some good company."

"Lunch? Today?", Jessica squeaked.

"Sure, why not? You said you'd have lunch with me sometime this week, and I decided I didn't want to wait any longer. I want to have lunch with you today...unless you have other plans, that is..." His voice trailed off quietly, indicating his disappointment. It hadn't occurred to him that she wouldn't want to go to lunch with him. "Okay, well, maybe not today…I know you may have other plans...never mind..."

"Wait...don't hang up!" Jessica yelled into her phone. "Of course I want to go to lunch with you today. You just caught me by surprise, that's all. I thought you meant we'd go later this week, but today is fine." She glanced at the time on her computer. "12:30 at Yutaka over on L Street? I'll meet you there."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you then."

Jessica's heart was aflutter as she tried to concentrate on removing the bones from the cleaning solution. What was it Aubrey had said? He didn't want to wait to see her. _Wow...maybe he is out to make a good impression..._

Smiling to herself, she got the last of the bones out of the vat and began to lay them out on the examination table. It seemed her plan was progressing very nicely.

Lunch today was going to be very interesting.


	7. Chapter 7

Aubrey sat in the lobby of the Thai restaurant, which was decorated with garish strings of red and pink plastic heart shaped lights that seemed to be draped over every available surface. He fidgeted slightly as he waited for Jessica to arrive. He was torn, wondering if he should bring up the coffee cup he'd received this morning. If she'd actually sent it, she'd expect him to mention it. But what if she hadn't had it delivered to him? Then she might be angry about him getting a gift from someone else. That was a pleasant thought in some ways...that she'd be jealous about someone else paying attention to him. Still, he wasn't really in the mood for an argument, especially since they seemed to be getting along.

Anyway, a stray thought had been nagging him since he'd received the gift. What if Karen had actually sent him the mug? Maybe she'd ordered it for him before they'd broken up, and it'd just now arrived. That would be her style...and it was just kitschy enough, and also weirdly suggestive enough, to be something that she'd think was cute. It could be her, right?

No...surely not. They'd been broken up too long, and she had been really angry with him when he pulled the plug on their relationship. Even if she had ordered it, she would've cancelled its delivery. It must've been someone else, right? But who? Who else could've sent him that mug? It wasn't like he knew anyone else that was interested in him like that. He knew for sure it wasn't Shaw, especially since Agent Geren had finally made his move in her direction. There didn't seem to be any other options...except for Jessica.

So what to do? He shook his head as he sat back in the seat. Maybe he'd just let the conversation flow between the two of them. That might be easier in the long run. No need to dredge up the topic of his former 'girlfriend' now that he and Jessica were friendly again, right?

Right...at least he hoped so. He took a deep breath. God, he hoped so. He had too much to lose if he wasn't right...

*/*/*/*/*/*

Jessica walked quickly down L Street, wanting to be on time for her lunch date with Aubrey. She was still surprised that he'd asked her to lunch today after they'd spent so much of the weekend together, but she found that she was also very happy with that development.

Aubrey wasn't a man to dilly-dally around. She knew that if he wanted something...if he'd set a goal...he'd work hard to achieve success. Shrugging as she glanced in the store windows that lined the streets, all of them decorated with lacy hearts and fluttering cupids, she wondered if it should bother her to be considered a goal...a thing to be attained...a problem to be solved.

But knowing Aubrey the way she did, it was hard to be offended by that attitude. After all, he was goal oriented, but he was also a very romantic man, and she hoped to be the recipient of his future romantic overtures. She was used to setting goals, as well, and she usually had to work hard for what she wanted. The question to answer now was how hard she'd have to work to keep her Superman in her life.

A small smile crossed her face as she thought about the roses waiting for her in her locker at the lab. The more she'd thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Aubrey had decided to surprise her. Maybe he'd just forgotten to sign the card, or maybe the florist had lost the original. There were lots of reasons that the card was anonymous, right?

The problem was how to bring it up in their conversation during lunch. The fact that she had received some flowers as a romantic gesture wasn't exactly part of their normal chatter. Maybe she could just casually mention the gift. After all, it wouldn't hurt to let him know the thought was appreciated, right?

Of course, there was always a chance that he hadn't sent the flowers. What then? Would he be annoyed? Maybe, but it didn't make any difference, right? After all, it wasn't like they were exclusive any more. She was a desirable female, and it would make sense that someone found her attractive enough to woo with flowers, right?

And it was possible that Hodgins was correct. Maybe Scott had sent the flowers. It would be just like the big goofball to forget to sign the card. But Aubrey had no reason to be jealous of the archaeologist. She'd made that very clear when she'd discussed things with Aubrey. He had no reason to think that Scott was still in the picture.

But if not Scott or Aubrey, then who? Who would think it was a good idea to send her flowers? It might've been her father, or maybe even one of her brothers, except of the contents of the note. It didn't seem to be a matter of familial affection...it was far more likely to be a love note from an ardent admirer. She ran through the list of possibilities in her mind, but she always came back to the same idea. It must be Aubrey.

No matter who the flowers were from, it shouldn't make any difference to Aubrey. He should know by know that he was the only one she was interested in, right?

Right...at least she hoped so. She didn't want to take the chance of losing him again.

Oooooooooo

Aubrey couldn't help but smile as he watched Jessica through the restaurant's window. She was so cute as she stopped to look into the shop windows while she walked down the street, wrapping a strand of her dark red hair around her finger as she contemplated the various Valentine's Day displays.

He knew now that he was a goner...he could never love another woman the way he loved her, and if things didn't work out between them this time...well, he couldn't imagine what he'd do. He'd definitely have to leave town if that happened. He didn't even want to consider that possibility...

Aubrey tried to shake off those negative thoughts. He had to stay positive...he had to stay focused. There was too much at stake to give into the fear of losing her again. He was going to do what it took to win this time.

Oooooooooo

The doorbell chimed as Jessica entered the restaurant's lobby, announcing her presence to her waiting Superman. He looked so handsome in his suit and tie as he stood to greet her. Navy blue was definitely his color...and his brilliant smile was simply amazing. As he embraced her, she quivered slightly, her heart racing with his tender touch.

She knew now that she could never go back to living without her Superman. He would always be her standard, and no matter how hard she tried, she'd never been able to find a man who could meet those expectations. If anything or anyone came between them again...well, she didn't want to think about that. She couldn't stand the thought of someone else loving Aubrey the way she did.

But that didn't matter now. She was going to do the best she could to make sure he never had a chance to doubt her again. She was going to do everything she could to make sure she was successful in keeping him around this time.

Oooooooooo

They both tried to act casual as they followed the restaurant's owner back to their favorite table. They'd been regular customers when they were a couple, and they both wondered if the normally talkative Mr. Chaow would have anything to say about their prolonged absence from his establishment. Instead, he simply bowed as he handed them each a menu. "It is good to see you here together today. It has been too long."

"Thanks." Jessica smiled happily. "I've missed your mee krop. No one makes it like you do, Mr. Chaow."

"Thank you.' He gestured toward the window next to their table. "It is cold outside. Hot tea today?"

"None for me, thanks, but I think Jessica will want some." Aubrey winked at her as he continued. "We want to split an order of spring rolls, okay? And then we'll have the sampler platter...the one with satay gai, pork dumplings, the khao pad and the pad khee mao." Handing the menus back to the man, Aubrey grinned. "I guess that'll work for starters."

"Hot and spicy, yes?" Mr. Chaow chuckled as he wrote down their order. "I remember...and two large glasses of water."

"That's right...oh, I forgot...we want some of your famous mee krop, too."

"Very good." Bowing again, the man smiled as he left to turn in their order.

The few seconds of silence between the couple seemed to last forever as each tried to figure out how to ask the other the question that was on their mind.

"Well...here we are…", Jessica began, clearing her throat nervously. "...having Thai…"

"Yes, we're definitely here to have Thai." Aubrey grinned as he ran his fingers down his glass. "Did you miss me?"

Jessica giggled as she rolled her eyes at him. "It was terrible. I mean, it's been over twelve hours since I saw you last. I was about to faint from the lack of contact with a special agent."

"I bet." He fidgeted nervously with his napkin. "I needed exposure to a forensic anthropologist, too. Good thing I know where to find one when I want one." He paused as their server brought Jessica her hot tea with lemon and honey on the side. "I've missed you, too. I really enjoyed spending the weekend with you…"

She blushed as she squeezed the lemon half into her tea. "Well, it wasn't like it was the whole weekend, you know…"

"It was the most important part of the weekend...pretty much the whole time I was awake." He inhaled sharply, not wanting to embarrass her further. "Not that I wanted you to be there while I was sleeping...I mean, I know we're not gonna do that...I mean, not now, anyway...not yet...I just...shit! Never mind. I'm gonna stop talking now…" He shook his head woefully. "Where are those spring rolls?''

Jessica smiled as she reached over to take his hand in hers. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I knew what you meant, Aubrey. I enjoyed the weekend, too."

He relaxed a little bit, sighing as he glanced out the window. "I guess I'm still afraid of screwing this up again...you know, the two of us. I don't want to say the wrong thing this time around."

Sighing softly, Jessica shook her head. "We shouldn't have to walk on eggshells around each other, okay? It's possible that we might say the wrong thing to each other from time to time, but that's just the way it is, I think. We can work through it. We can't be afraid to be ourselves, and if we do make a mistake, we'll just forgive and forget." She hesitated, chewing on her lip slightly. "When I fell in love with you the first time around, it was because you were always honest and I could count on the fact that meant what you said…"

"Yeah, but I shot that all to hell, didn't I? Not telling you about my possible promotion…I could understand if you didn't trust me anymore." He focused on his plate, wanting to avoid looking her in the eyes. "I never want to be in that situation ever again. I always want you to be able to believe me."

"I know." Jessica smiled at the server as the woman set the plate of spring rolls in front of them. "I think we both have things to work on if we want to be together. It wasn't just you that messed things up, Aubrey. I was the one who listened to Karen's advice…"

"Well, I did, too…" He cringed suddenly, instantly regretting his comment.

"I don't understand.", Jessica began cautiously. "What advice did Karen give you?"

Aubrey wanted to be about anywhere else in the world at that moment, but he knew he needed to tell Jessica everything. "Well, you know that all FBI openings, for every field office, are posted regularly online, right? Well, when Booth told me about the LA opening, I looked it up to get more information. I had the page open on my computer, and Karen saw it when she came into my office. She had already seen the listing when she looked at openings, so she knew exactly what I was looking at."

Jessica studied her teacup thoughtfully, unsure if she wanted to hear any more details. Finally she nodded. "Go on…"

"Anyway, she asked me about it, and I figured I had nothing to hide, since I knew the rumor mill would begin working soon about me possibly leaving anyway, so I told her about what Booth had said...that they wanted me in LA...that his friend had asked about me, and that I was thinking about it. I told her I was seriously considering it.''

"I knew that." Jessica nodded slightly. "She told me she'd known about your promotion a couple of weeks before I did."

"Yeah...that's just great. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she?" Aubrey puffed out an exasperated sigh. "Well...she asked me if I'd told you about the new job and the move yet, and I said no, that I'd just found out about it the night before, and I hadn't gotten home until late...too late to call you. Besides, I was still in the 'being surprised' stage, trying to grasp the whole idea, you know? She suggested that I not tell you until I knew exactly what I wanted to do, because she said it would cause you too much stress...that you'd be worrying about your internship and coming up will all sorts of 'what ifs' when it might not even be necessary." He paused as he saw Jessica's angry expression. "At the time it sounded logical, so I waited to talk to you about it until later, at that crime scene, and by then you already knew about it from her instead of from me. Looking back, I can see how stupid it was to handle things that way, because it looked like I was making a decision without you...like I didn't care what you thought. I should've discussed it with you as soon as I knew anything about it, instead of waiting, because I knew I wanted you involved in my life no matter what. Like I said, I was a fucking idiot."

"Yeah...you were an idiot." Jessica smirked as Aubrey flinched at her honesty. "But, you know what? I think I've finally forgiven you for that idiocy, okay? You made a mistake, but I understand why, and I think we can move past it now, if you're ready, that is."

"Really?" A grin began to spread across Aubrey's face. "That's a relief." He paused as the server showed up with a large platter of food and some clean plates. "Man, look at all that good stuff. What are you going to eat?"

"Ha ha. Very funny, Superman." Jessica picked up some of the satay skewers and set them on her plate next to a couple of dumplings. "Okay, enough gloom and recriminations, alright? How are things at the office? It seems like your division's solve rate is good…"

"It's not bad. Genny is a great ASAC, so that helps, especially since Stark assigned that jackass Bower to my division. God, he's awful. He must've graduated at the very bottom of his class at Quantico." Aubrey spooned some food onto his plate. "Poor Newcomb. I feel sorry for her, having to be his partner, but she was the only one available for him to work with. Anyway, except for the Harwell case, we've done okay, and I'm sure we'll clear that one up soon. How are things at the lab?"

"Good...you know...mostly the same old stuff...clean the bones, and work on the dissertation." Jessica giggled softly. "Of course, today was somewhat different…"

"Why? Because you got invited to have lunch with a famous Special Agent in Charge?" Aubrey chuckled as he chose another dumpling. "That would certainly make it a good day."

"True...that's part of it, but there's another reason...actually, there are three reasons...three very pretty reasons…"

By now Aubrey was thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about, Jess?"

"The roses? You sent me three red roses, right? With a sweet note?"

"Um...no...I wouldn't send you cut flowers. You don't like them, remember?" Suddenly out of sorts, Aubrey sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap, glumly watching Jessica's expression carefully. "You're not teasing me, are you? Someone really sent you flowers? With a love note?"

"Yeah...they're beautiful, but the note was what convinced me they were from you…it was so romantic." She blushed again, not wanting to share its contents with him if he hadn't sent it. "Anyway, you're right. I don't usually like cut flowers, but these are beautiful dark red rose buds…"

"Really? And all I got was a lousy coffee cup." He stabbed at the food on his plate. "And it wasn't even a cool coffee cup, either. Thanks for nothing, Jessica…"

"What do you mean 'thanks for nothing'? I didn't send you a coffee cup. I know how picky you are about them...that you have to have a different kind of cup for all the different types of coffee you drink…"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. It makes perfect sense to use different cups for different types of coffee, okay? But who cares about coffee cups, Jess? It's not like you sent me one, anyway…"

"Well, it's not like I didn't want to send you a gift. That's just not what I would've chosen. I would have sent something else, that's all." Suddenly another thought occurred to Jessica. "Who sent you the mug?"

"Why?" Aubrey found himself growing irritable, especially since Jessica had been gloating over her roses. "If it wasn't you, why should it matter? I'm sure there are a lot of women who'd want to send me a fancy coffee mug. After all, I'm nice...not bad looking...I've got a good job. Actually, I'm quite a catch, now that I think about it."

"Wait...you mean, it wasn't a generic mug? It's a Valentine's Day mug, isn't it?" Jessica took a sip of her tea, hoping to regain her composure. "I'm sure it was very romantic, wasn't it? From someone who's interested in you as more than a friend? From someone who's on the prowl? How sweet."

"Yeah, of course it was romantic.", Aubrey lied. "Maybe it wasn't all that cool, but it was really sweet, and I liked it. I'm sure you don't know the person it came from..." He picked at the leftover rice on his plate. "So...who sent you the roses? Was it Scott?" _Please say no..._

"I'm not sure that's any of your business. All you really need to know is that it wasn't you, right?" Unsure of why she found herself becoming upset, Jessica tried to change the subject. "Guess what Dr. B is getting Booth for Valentine's?"

Aubrey shrugged, unable to pretend to be interested. All he could think about was the idea that someone had sent Jessica a very romantic bouquet of flowers. "I don't have any idea. I know what he got her, though…not that it makes any difference."

Surprised at how sullen Aubrey had become, Jessica became more aggravated as she thought of someone else getting her Superman a gift mug for Valentine's Day, especially since he wasn't denying that he liked it. In fact, it sounded like he really loved it, even if it didn't come from her. Unable to continue their conversation in a civil manner, she glanced at her phone. "Oh, wow...look at the time. I need to go." She pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and put it on the center of the table. "There's for my half of lunch…"

"Wait, Jessica...you don't have to leave yet, okay? I'm sorry...I guess I'm just out of sorts, that's all." Aubrey reached out to take her hand. "Let's finish lunch, okay? Then maybe I can walk you back to work…"

"No...I've got to go." Picking up her coat, she stood up and moved away from the table. "Bye…"

Seeing that she was upset, Aubrey rose from the table and stepped in front of her. "Jessica, what's wrong? Did I say something? I'm sorry..."

"It's nothing...I just need to get back to work, that's all. Thanks for having lunch with me..." She quickly brushed past him. "Excuse me…"

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" Aubrey tried to catch her eye, but she refused to look at him.

"I suppose. I'm in a hurry." She tried to smile as she turned toward the door. "Enjoy your mug." And with that, she was gone.

Mr. Chaow stopped by the table and looked at Aubrey in surprise. "Is the food not good? You have so much of it left over from your meal. It is not like you…"

"The food was fine. Maybe you can get me some to go boxes?" Sighing as the man walked away, Aubrey tried to figure out what had happened to make Jessica leave. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. _Ha! She's jealous about someone sending me a gift!_ He chuckled to himself until he remembered the rest of the story. _But someone sent her a gift, too! A really romantic gift! Dammit! I've got to find out who so I can set that jackass straight...he needs to get lost…because she belongs to me._

Oooooooooo

Thoroughly frustrated, Jessica stomped down the street, muttering to herself. _Damn that man! All excited about some stupid coffee mug...as if it was a big deal. It wasn't anything special compared to my roses, was it?_ She stopped at a street corner, waiting for the light to change. _Why would he be so excited about a cup?_ Then it was like she'd been struck by lightning. _He was excited because of who sent it! He's got a lot of nerve asking me to meet him for lunch so he could talk about some lame coffee cup that was sent to him by some other woman!_

As the light turned green, another thought occurred to her. _Maybe he's jealous that someone sent me flowers, so he's trying to make me jealous in return. And guess what...it worked, didn't it? Well, I'm gonna find out who sent him that mug...and then she and I are gonna have a talk….because he's taken...by me._

* * *

 _ **A/N: don't worry...things are going to work out just fine in the end...**_


	8. Chapter 8

Preoccupied as he showed up for work at the office the next day, Aubrey barely acknowledged the greetings from his coworkers. He was still too disconcerted from yesterday's lunch date with Jessica to process anything other than a simple 'hello' at the moment. He needed a few minutes to get his mind back where it belonged.

"What is going on with her?", he muttered to himself as he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. He glanced at his phone for the twentieth time that morning, wondering why she hadn't called him back. He'd left at least a dozen messages on her voicemail last night, but she had ignored him completely. "She must really be pissed, but I'm not sure why. It's not my fault someone sent me an anonymous gift. And anyway, she got one, too, right? She got some expensive flowers..."

It still annoyed him that someone was trying to put a move on his girl. He'd have to act quickly to keep her where she belonged...by his side...but so far, she was refusing to cooperate.

Aubrey was so preoccupied that at first he didn't notice the box on the table under his office window. Soon, however, the delicate scent wafted across the room, awakening his ravenous hunger once again. "Doughnuts? I smell doughnuts! Where are they?" He quickly rose from his chair and walked to the table, grinning as he saw that the box was from his favorite pastry shop. Smiling, he glanced at the tag, hoping it was from his favorite anthropologist, but he was somewhat disappointed as he read the inscription.

 _Happy Valentine's Day, Uncle Aubrey!_

 _From Christine and Hank_

"Aww...that's sweet." Grinning in spite of his slightly bruised feelings, he opened the lid and gasped in appreciation. Booth had outdone himself in choosing the varieties of doughnuts in the container. Picking out a fluffy gem covered with chocolate glaze and multicolored sprinkles, Aubrey sighed as he took a bite. His former girlfriend might still be mad at him, but at least he still had a few friends left in the world...friends that would look out for his sweet tooth.

He glanced at his watch and groaned before licking the last bit of glaze from his fingers. He had a staff meeting in fifteen minutes to go over what they had about the Harwell case. He sighed, knowing the meeting wouldn't last long since they basically had nothing to go one but a dead mobster and a generic footprint. The bullet which killed Greg Harwell had passed completely through the body, and even with the intense inspection of every square inch of the area where the body had been discovered, no discharged round had been found by the FBI techs. The guy had been killed somewhere else and dumped at the crime scene. Because of the absence of any round, the team at the Jeffersonian had been trying to reverse engineer the type of bullet based on the wound track, but they hadn't had any luck either.

"And, to top it off, Bower and Newcomb weren't able to find anyone who'd talk to them about Harwell's line of business." Aubrey swore under his breath as he read Agent Bower's report from yesterday. Their person of interest had been a dud, claiming he didn't even know the deceased. "However, Newcomb wasn't buying it…", Aubrey mumbled as he looked over her report in the file. "She thinks the person they talked to was lying…I need to get her take on this...see what she thinks..."

Lost in thought as he walked into the conference room, Aubrey didn't pay much attention to the mailroom courier who was following him.

Greeting his team, Aubrey held up the folder. "Okay...about the Harwell case…we're at a dead end..."

"Excuse me. You're Special Agent Aubrey, right?" Box in hand, the courier waited expectantly.

"Yeah. Why? I'm kinda busy…we're in a meeting." He glared at the young man. "What do you want?"

"Special delivery, sir." The courier placed a large flat box on the conference table. "My instructions were to bring this to you personally."

"Great. Just great. Thanks." He shook his head as he picked up the box and set it aside. "Okay, as I was saying…"

"Who's it from?", Agent Juarez asked excitedly. "What does the tag say?"

"Aren't you gonna open it?" Agent Newcomb laughed at her supervisor's scowl. "You don't really think we're gonna be able to concentrate on work until we know what's inside the box, do you?"

"I bet it's some sort of fancy man lingerie. Probably some sexy silk boxers, judging from that fancy red wrapping paper..." Agent Bower elbowed Agent Newcomb. "I used to be an underwear model, you know? I know all about that stuff…"

"Gross, Steve. I may be sick." Agent Newcomb turned to the giggling Agent Juarez and acted like she was gagging. "I do not need that visual stuck in my brain."

Agent Ross shrugged at Aubrey. "It's gonna be easier if you just show us what's in the box, Boss."

Sighing softly, Aubrey realized that Ross was probably correct. He also realized he'd regret opening the box in front of everybody. Still, he was curious…curious enough to take that chance. "Okay, you're right. Here…" He quickly pulled away the red paper and opened the box. Inside there were two books. Grimacing with embarrassment, he held one of them up so his colleagues could see it. "It's a cookbook…"

Agent Juarez laughed as she read the title aloud. " _The Aphrodisiac Cookbook._ Hmm...that looks interesting…"

"I guess." Aubrey quickly put the book back in the box and set the box aside, hoping nobody had seen the second book. "Can we go on with the meeting now? Michelle...tell me about what Bobby Corcoran said. You thought he was lying, right?"

"Yeah." Michelle glared at Steve's loud sarcastic sigh. "He had all the tells, Boss. Wouldn't look me in the eye...fidgety…bouncing from one foot to the other...anyway, even though he says he didn't know the vic, the guy's in the Irish Warriors. I think Harwell crossed someone in that gang, and Corcoran knew about it, but he was too nervous to finger the doer for us, thinking it would come back to bite him."

"Or maybe he just had to use the john, Michelle." Bower shrugged. "I didn't get the feeling he was lying. Stupid, maybe, but not lying." Agent Bower grinned at his boss. "So who was the book from? You didn't say…"

"There wasn't a card. Enough with the damn gift already, okay, Bower? We've got work to do. Ross, I want you to take Juarez and go bust Corcoran's balls a bit, okay? Lean on him hard and then haul his ass in here for questioning. I bet he knows something about the case, and I want to talk to him myself to find out what it is. Bower, you and Newcomb go over Harwell's bank stuff again. See if he'd been making big payments to anyone or getting extra cash on a regular basis...things like that. We need to get this case closed in a hurry, so let's get busy. Questions? Good. Go…"

The agents grumbled slightly as they left to work on the different aspects of the case. After watching them leave, Aubrey turned back to the box. "Jesus...no card...I wonder who sent me this…" He picked up the second book, which was a pocket sized version of the illustrated _Kama Sutra._ He quickly thumbed through the book, stopping to look at a photograph, and feeling very hot and bothered as he thought about Jessica striking that same pose. He reluctantly cast aside the book and shook his head. "I don't have time for that. I've got work to do."

"Hey, Boss?" Agent Juarez appeared in the doorway. "Ross wants to know if you want us to wait after lunch before we bring Corcoran in….what's that?" She pointed at the book on the table. "That doesn't look like a cookbook."

Aubrey snatched up the book and threw it in the box, hastily jamming down the lid. "It's not...tell Fred that after lunch would be better. I've got a ton of paperwork to do this morning."

"Okay." Juarez nodded and turned to leave, pausing as she turned back to her boss with a smirk. "Don't forget to check out the different positions...that's the best part."

Now thoroughly embarrassed, Aubrey gathered up his things and marched back to his office, furious that his so called secret admirer had sent those things to his office. _It has to be Karen...nobody else would be that crass...or that stupid._

His phone chimed, telling him he had a message. He sighed in frustration as he realized he'd missed Jessica's call. Her voicemail simply said she'd call him later.

Aubrey leaned back in his chair and stared out the window, contemplating the last few days, and wondering when his penance for the sin of breaking Jessica's heart would ever be over.

Surely things would be better soon, right?

He certainly hoped so.

Oooooooooo

Jessica slowly walked up the steps to the lab platform, buttoning her lab coat and wishing she was somewhere else at the moment. It was unusual for her not to look forward to work, but today she was feeling out of sorts as she thought about her quandry. _What am I going to do with that man...Superman can be so annoying..._

A sleepless night of tossing and turning had done little to ease her feelings that something was still off between her and Aubrey. It was apparent that he still cared for her as much as she did for him, but the question was in what way did they care? Were they going to be good friends or was it going to be something more? Were they ever going to get past the dancing around each other long enough to figure things out?

She glanced at her phone again, puffing out a sigh as she realized how many calls she'd missed from him. She knew she should call him back, but she was unsure of what to say. After all, he'd been quite pleased with his new coffee cup, so maybe he was quite pleased with the person who'd sent it. However, he hadn't mentioned her name, much to Jessica's irritation.

That was perfectly fine with her, right? They weren't a couple, and Aubrey could date who he wanted…

Jessica giggled softly. _Actually, that's not true. I don't want him to date anyone else but me…I need to find out who it is and tell her to back off…_

She wondered if she could wheedle the woman's name out of him...maybe a bit of cajoling might do the trick. Deciding she had time to make a phone call, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit the speed dial, but there was no answer. _He's probably in a staff meeting..._ "Hey, it's me. I'll call you later." Quickly slipping her phone back into her pocket, she smiled. "Good morning, Dr. Brennan."

"Good morning, Ms. Warren." Dr. Brennan nodded as she joined her intern on the lab platform. "Christine asked me to give this to you…" She held out a white gift bag. "It's something she made herself."

"How sweet! Please tell her thank you from me!" Jessica pulled out a framed crayon drawing of a cartoon character with bright red hair, who was wearing a bright blue lab coat over a bright green dress. "She drew a picture of me! I love it!" The inscription at the bottom of the picture read _'To Ms. Jessica. Someday I want to be just like you. Christine.' "_ Wow...Dr. B, I don't know what to say…" Thoroughly embarrassed, she ran her fingers over the edges of the black frame. "Of course, I'm honored that she wants to be like me, but…well, this is awkward..."

"No worries, Ms. Warren." Brennan smiled to put her intern at ease. "Of course, I'd rather that my daughter would want to me like _me_ when she became an adult, but if not, I'm pleased that Christine has chosen so worthy a role model. Now, where are we on the reverse engineering of the bullet that killed Mr. Harwell?"

Somewhat confused as to whether or not Dr. B was annoyed with her, Jessica tried to stammer out her thanks for the gift once again, but was interrupted by Hodgins as he gained access to the lab platform. "There you are, Ms. Warren. I've been looking all over for you. It seems your secret admirer has been at it again…" He held out a large gift basket. "This was delivered for you a few minutes ago."

"It's beautiful, but I shouldn't open it up here on the lab platform if it has food in it." She peeked through the cellophane wrapping. "Look...chocolates...all different kinds." Turning to her mentor, she smiled. "Would you mind if I put this in your office, Dr. B? Maybe you can share some of the goodies with me later…"

Brennan chuckled as she eyed the basket. "That would be satisfactory, Ms. Warren. It looks like there's a wide assortment of treats to choose from. I find I'm looking forward to sampling some of them."

After an hour of frustrating work that accomplished very little, it was decided that they needed a break. After adjourning to Brennan's office, Jessica nervously inspected her package. "Hmm...no card. Hodgins was right. It must be a secret."

"Perhaps, but that shouldn't affect the way the chocolate tastes." Brennan grinned as she looked at the candy wrappers encasing the varieties of candy. "Belgian chocolate is some of the finest, most expensive chocolate in the world. Whoever the admirer is, at least we know he has excellent taste."

"I suppose. However, it would be more fun if I knew who it was." Jessica selected a piece of candy and absentmindedly unwrapped it before popping it into her mouth. "I'm sure it wasn't Aubrey...he wouldn't let this candy get past his front door." Giggling as she thought of him trying to pass up food, she ate another piece, tossing the wrapper into the trash can. "Oh no!" Gasping suddenly, Jessica fanned her hand in front of her mouth. "Strawberries...oh, my God…"

"Ms. Warren, what's wrong?", Brennan asked in alarm as her intern squirmed in her chair. "Are you okay?"

"No...no, I'm not. That piece of candy had strawberry filling in the center and I'm highly allergic to strawberries...look…" She pointed to the large bumps that were beginning to form on her arms. "Hives...I'm breaking out in hives." Clenching her fists, she rose from her chair quickly as she tried to fight the urge to scratch at her arms. "In my locker...antihistamine...quick…" Her breathing was becoming labored. "Now!"

"Of course!" Calling a security guard, Brennan quickly dispatched him to get the medication from Jessica's locker. "Do I need to call an ambulance, Ms. Warren? Are you experiencing any shock related symptoms?"

"I...should be...fine...as soon as meds...get here." Slumping in her chair, she panted heavily. "Soon?"

They paused as she heard the guard running into the office and held up a plastic bottle. "Is this what you need, Ms. Warren?"

"Yes…thank you." Jessica glanced at Brennan, who quickly took the medication from the guard and poured a dose of the liquid, handing it to her shaky intern.

"There you go." Brennan sighed in relief as Jessica's breathing soon returned to normal. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better. Thank you." Closing her eyes, the younger woman tried to relax. "I'm sorry if I caused you any concern, Dr. B. I should've known to check the labels of the candy before I ate any of it." She tried to smile at her mentor. "At least now we know this gift didn't come from James. He knows how allergic I am. He'd never dream of sending me something with strawberries as one of the ingredients. He would never do that..."

"There's no need to apologize, Jessica. I am glad, however, that we were able to stop your allergic reaction. It was a wise precaution to have the antihistamine available."

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way." Shaking off what appeared to be a bad memory, Jessica continued. "I guess we'd better get back to work." She tried to rise from her chair, but her legs refused to support her. "Dammit!"

"I believe the more prudent approach would be for you to go home and sleep off your histamine response. You'll most likely become sleepy very soon. Did you drive yourself to work today?"

"No, I took the metro this morning." Jessica grimaced slightly. "My little Jeep doesn't like cold weather…"

"Very well. We can get Angela to drive you home." Brennan called Angela's office, and the artist arrived quickly.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Angela was horrified as she saw how ill Jessica appeared to be. "Are you okay?"

"Ms. Warren had an extreme allergic reaction to the candy that was delivered to her today. She needs to go home. Can you drive her there?"

"Um...of course. No problem." Trying to hide her panic, Angela looked through the basket. "It was in here? But this is great stuff...finest ingredients and all that…"

"One of the pieces had strawberries in it.", Jessica sighed. "I'm getting sleepy. Can you please take me home?"

"Sure. Let's go get your things out of your locker, okay?" Angela quickly ushered Jessica out of the office, leaving the basket of candy on the table.

Brennan smiled to herself as she accessed her computer. It was too bad that Ms. Warren was allergic to the candy, but it was a shame to let it go to waste. Unwrapping another piece, she savored it before turning to her keyboard, wondering if she should drop a hint to Booth about how much she adored chocolate.

After getting Jessica situated in the car, Angela quickly took her home and practically carried her upstairs to her apartment. "Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. I'm just sleepy. I'm gonna call Aubrey and then take a nap. I'll talk to you tomorrow…"

"Okay...if you say so." Quietly leaving the apartment, Angela walked down to her van and unlocked it. She there sat for a few minutes, wondering if playing the matchmaker for Aubrey and Jessica was turning out to be a good thing after all.

* * *

 _A/N: no one said things would be easy, but there's a happy ending right around the corner._


	9. Chapter 9

Aubrey glanced at the clock on the SUV's dashboard. It had been less than ten minutes since Jessica had called him, asking him to come to her apartment as soon as he could, but it seemed like an eternity had passed. Traffic was sluggish that afternoon as it tried to move through the city, and his patience was wearing thin. He needed to see her...like right now.

Finally he gave into temptation and flipped the switch. After all, what good did it do to have a siren on his car if he never got to use it? Of course, it was totally against regs to use the siren to expedite a personal manner, but in this case, it was possible that a woman's life was at stake. That was FBI territory, right? Besides, Aubrey knew for certain that Booth had used his siren on occasions that weren't crime related emergencies. _Anyway, what the Deputy Director doesn't know won't hurt him…_

A few more minutes passed before he pulled the large vehicle into the small parking lot behind the small mom and pop grocery store. He hopped out and quickly raced up the stairs, two at a time, until he hit the landing of the third floor. Stopping to catch his breath, he ran his hand through his dark hair before knocking on her door.

"Jessica? It's me…open up." He fidgeted impatiently as he heard slight rustling on the other side of the door. "C'mon, Darlin'…"

The chain on the interior of the door rattled as she took it out of its slot. Peering out into the hallway, she gave him a sleepy smile. "Hey, Aubrey…wanna come in?"

"Of course I want to come in." His concern was evident as he followed her into the small apartment. "What happened? What's wrong?" He paused as he remembered his panic when he heard her slurred speech on the phone. "Are you okay?"

"Uh huh. At least I think I'm okay." She pulled her robe closed over her skimpy tee shirt and sleep shorts before trying to smooth her hair. "I had a bad reaction to something I ate, and I had to take some antihistamine...a lot of it, and the combination of the stress reaction, the adrenaline spike, and that medication always makes me really sleepy. An allergic reaction can put a body through the ringer." She smiled as she plopped down on the couch. "I was scared, and I didn't want to sleep alone…so I wanted you here with me."

"Oh…I see." Aubrey's words hung in the air for a few seconds as he tried to decide how to respond. "You mean...now? While you're drowsy? It seems like you'd miss out on stuff…it doesn't seem like it'd be very much fun...for you, that is..."

"Of course I'm gonna sleep while I'm sleepy." She propped her head up on her elbow and grinned. "I'm gonna go get in bed…"

Aubrey felt his heart rate accelerate as he thought of laying next to her and holding her close so he could help her feel better.

"...and you're gonna sit here on the couch and make sure I don't do something silly. Sometimes after I have a bad allergic reaction like that I sleep walk."

"Yeah. No problem." Thoroughly disappointed, Aubrey slumped onto the sofa, hoping she was too sleepy to realize he'd been thinking of things other than lending her a helping hand by guarding the door. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Thanks. I knew I could count on you." She yawned widely and stretched before rising from the couch. "Maybe you could stay for dinner later...if you want, that is. There's some leftover chicken and noodles in the refrigerator...and maybe some curry. I can't remember..."

"I'd like that." He grinned, and she smiled back before yawning again. "Now, young lady...nap time."

"Okay." She sighed heavily as she slowly walked toward her bedroom. "See you in a few hours."

"Yeah. I'm not going anywhere." He reached for the remote and turned on the television, wondering if it was bad that he hoped there might get something interesting for dessert after dinner...and he didn't mean cookies.

Oooooooooo

"You did what?! Oh, my God, Angela! You did the very thing I asked you not to do!" Hodgins was furious as he spun his wheelchair around toward his wife the next morning. "I can't believe this…you said you wouldn't meddle. You said no matchmaking, remember? You swore to me..."

"To be fair, I wasn't actively matchmaking, okay?" Angela tried to laugh to lighten her husband's angry mood, but with no success. "I was just helping them along…you know, encouraging them to get back together."

"By pretending to be a secret admirer for both Aubrey and Jessica? Do you realize how much mischief that could've caused? They could've both decided that they preferred the admirer over each other. What would've happened then? They would've dumped each other for someone who doesn't even exist!" Hodgins shook his head in disgust. "You promised not to do something like that…"

"Well, they didn't do anything that drastic, did they? Anyway, it's not like anyone got hurt…" Angela shrugged as she sat down and picked up her tablet. "It was all harmless fun…I sent good gifts."

"Except that Jessica had an allergic reaction to the candy you sent. Brennan told me later that she had considered calling an ambulance for Ms. Warren yesterday because her reaction was so severe."

"What? I didn't know that! I mean, I drove Jessica home, but I thought she was kidding around about how bad she felt. All she really complained about was being sleepy. Wow…" Stunned into silence, Angela sat quietly for a few minutes as she considered the situation. "Oh, no…" Glancing at the time, she quickly took out her phone. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to cancel the singing telegrams I've ordered...what? Well, can't you call them? Please? Oh, come on...I'll pay for them even if they aren't delivered." She sighed dramatically. "Yes...yes, I understand. Okay." She hung up the phone and put it in her pocket before picking up her tablet again.

"Angie? Come on...tell me…" Hodgins gently took the tablet from her hands and set it aside. "What's going on?"

"I ordered some singing telegrams for Aubrey and for Jessica. The performers supposed to deliver a dinner invitation for each one." Avoiding eye contact with her husband, she groaned. "The singers may or may not be dressed appropriately for the office environment. The company said that they don't have a precise schedule to follow, and that the performers may or may not check their phones on a regular basis, depending on where they're going to deliver the telegrams. She said she'd try to stop the deliveries, but she didn't hold out much hope that she'd be able to stop her workers in time."

"So when the guy comes to sing for Jessica, I'm gonna tell Brennan it was your idea, okay?" Hodgins turned and angrily wheeled away. "Happy Valentine's Day, Angela. I sure hope everything works out okay."

"Yeah...so do I.", she whispered quietly. "So do I."

Oooooooooo

Aubrey sighed as he rode the elevator up to his office. It looked like his two week plan to renew his relationship with Jessica by Valentine's Day had been an abject failure.

While it was true that they'd had a good dinner after she'd awakened from her four hour nap, it was also an awkward situation as well. He didn't want to be pushy while she wasn't feeling well, even though she seemed to be halfway interested in him staying longer than he did. It just didn't feel like the right thing to do, taking advantage of her not feeling well, and so he'd left at nine o'clock, going home to sleep alone.

And now Valentine's Day was here, and he didn't even have plans for dinner out this evening. It looked like he'd be grabbing some Chinese take out on the way home. Grimacing as he unlocked his office, he was disgusted with himself. Of course he'd told Booth that he didn't care about being alone on some stupid made up holiday, but that was far from the truth. He cared a lot. However, he couldn't do anything about that now. He was going to have to be brave and suck it up. Maybe he'd win Jessica's heart again some day, but it was going to take a lot longer than he'd hoped. And until then, he'd just have to deal with the way things were.

He was about to start on payroll when a grinning Agent Ross showed up in his doorway. "Hey, Boss...you've got a visitor...and she's a cutie."

Aubrey's heart beat faster as he walked out to the bullpen, hoping to see his favorite redhead. "Well? Where is she?"

Ross and Bower both smiled wolfishly in the direction of a raven haired beauty, who flashed a dazzling smile as she untied the belt on her coat. "Are you Agent Aubrey?"

"Um...yeah...I guess so...I mean, who wants to know?" He swallowed hard as she undid her ponytail and shook out her hair. "Are you sure you have the right guy?"

"Definitely." She set down her phone and started some music to play before throwing her coat aside, showing off a very revealing belly dancer costume. Her bra was just barely doing its job, and her pants were lying low on her hips, hitting her just above her pubic bone. She began to undulate slowly to the music, her rippling abdominal muscles making the jewel in her navel sparkle. "I have a message for you." The music began to have a more rapid beat, and the dancer whirled more quickly in response, dancing around Aubrey suggestively as he tried in vain not to watch. "It's from your secret admirer." The tassels on her bra began to spin in circles as she gyrated faster, moving closer to him as she did so. "She wants you to meet her for dinner at La Fouillet. 7 pm. She'll be carrying a red carnation." The dancer moved closer, tossing her hair wildly as her hips swished back and forth in a frenzy as she handed him a small plastic container. "Here's your boutonniere. Wear it at dinner.", she panted as the music came to a close. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Picking up her coat and her phone, she bowed to acknowledge the cheers and whistles from the assembled agents before rapidly retreating to the elevator.

"Way to go, Boss!", Agent Bower roared. "Man...I'd like to have her shaking that body at me like that…"

"Shut up, Bower. Don't you have somewhere else you need to be?" Aubrey quickly turned and walked back to his office to finish the payroll, trying to concentrate on work instead of wondering who his secret admirer was and what would possess her...he assumed it was a her...to embarrass him like that in front of his subordinates.

Well, he'd just go to dinner tonight, and give her a piece of his mind before asking her to never contact him again.

Oooooooooo

Jessica stood next to Brennan's computer as her mentor manipulated the image on the screen. She tried desperately to concentrate on what Dr. B was doing, but her mind kept wandering back to the day's date. It was Valentine's Day, and she was no closer to getting Aubrey back in her life permanently than she had been two weeks ago when she first made her plan.

It was discouraging, really. She'd almost convinced him to stay the night with her last night by using her allergic reaction earlier in the day as an excuse to want company, but Aubrey, always the gentleman, had been uncomfortable with that idea and so he had left relatively early in the evening.

She began to wonder if maybe she'd read the current feelings between them incorrectly. Maybe he wasn't interested in her like that any more. Maybe he did prefer the mystery behind his secret admirer.

And so now the holiday was here, and she was alone. In the past, being alone might not have been a big deal, but now, being alone meant an absence of James Aubrey in her life, and that was a hard pill to swallow. She missed him very much, and even though her plan had failed to come to fruition in the allotted two week period of time, she wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Her reverie was interrupted as she heard Dr. B address her. "I'm sorry, Dr. B...I didn't hear you...what did you say?"

Muttering quietly, Brennan tried to make a mirror image based on the marks left on the bone. "See...there? Those scrapes where the round passed upward through the rib, through the heart and then out through the scapula? We should be able to figure out how the round should look based on the marks it left on the bone."

"You made a model in gelatin, right, Dr. B?" Jessica watched in fascination as Brennan figured the trajectory.

"Yes, but that just showed the mark on the bone, not the shape of the round. The gun was fired at close range...it appears that the shooter was either kneeling or perhaps lying on the ground…"

"Or is it possible that the decedent moved while the shot was being fired? Maybe he tried to jump out of the way…"

Brennan nodded as she considered Jessica's suggestion. "I suppose that's possible...or perhaps he was lying on his back...with the shooter standing at his feet…"

"Like maybe he was lying on a couch. Maybe he was taking a nap or something, and because of where the shooter stood, he didn't fire straight down into the body…"

"So the bullet entered at a different angle than we first believed." Brennan turned to smile at her intern. "Excellent work, Ms. Warren. I'll have Angela run some simulations to see if that's what happened. If so that might help us get a better idea of what type of round we're looking for, and, by extension, the type of gun."

"Where are Angela and Hodgins? I haven't seen them all morning." Jessica looked out in the hallway toward the artist's office. "Are they coming in late today?"

"Not that I'm aware of. It is unusual for them to be so late, however…"

Suddenly one of the lab techs stood at the door of Brennan's office, giggling loudly as she looked over her shoulder. "Ms. Warren...you have a visitor upstairs in the lounge area...and God, he is a hottie."

"Um...okay." Jessica glanced at Brennan, who shrugged in surprise. "I guess we should go see who it is…"

The scientists walked up the stairs and were astonished by the crowd of women who had gathered in the the lounge. One of the interns from museum studies squealed as she saw them approaching. "Here she is...here's Jessica." She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her toward the front of the crowd, with Brennan following close behind.

They were unprepared for the sight they beheld. A tall, handsome man, well tanned and well toned, stood in front of them wearing a black cowboy hat. His fringed buckskin vest was worn over a bare chest, exposing some well developed chest and abdominal muscles. His chaps rode at his inguinal creases and had the added benefit of being worn over a man's G string, so the view from the rear was unobstructed.

"Howdy, ladies. I'm Rowdy the Ramrod. Which one of you fine lookin' fillies is Ms. Jessica Warren?", he drawled, flashing perfect teeth and a cute set of dimples. "I've got a message for her…" He winked suggestively. "...and it ain't about cows…"

"Oh, my God…", Jessica gasped, thoroughly embarrassed as her fellow interns pushed her forward toward the cowboy. "Seriously...this cannot be happening…"

"Oh, it's happening, Sugar. " The cowhand pulled out a lariat and did some rope tricks, making sure to show off his fine physique by gyrating as he made twirls and large loops with the rope as he moved in circles around her. After a few 'yeehaws', he took off his hat and got down on one knee in front of Jessica as he began to sing _Red River Valley._

"...just remember the Red River Valley, and the cowboy who loves you so true…", he yodeled. Taking a bow, he handed Jessica a red carnation. "Your secret admirer wants to you meet him at La Fouillet at 7 pm this evening. He'll be wearing a red carnation boutonniere."

Picking up his hat, the cowboy once again bowed deeply to the appreciative crowd of noisy women before leaving the lounge area. Biting her lip, a mortified Jessica turned to her mentor. "Dr. B, I'm so sorry. I know that wasn't appropriate for the lab. I had no idea he was coming…"

"I realize that, Ms. Warren." They waited for a minute or two until the crowd dispersed. "The objective of such displays is usually to embarrass the recipient." Hearing her phone chime, Brennan checked her messages. "Oh, Dr. Hodgins needs to see me in his office." Smiling, she turned to her intern. "Why don't you go see if Angela is in her office and ask her to run the simulations we discussed? Tell her I've sent her the file via email."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan." Watching her mentor walk away, Jessica felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She glanced at the flower in her hand before throwing it in the trash can. "I don't want to meet this guy.", she muttered to herself.

She was halfway down the stairs when she changed her mind, coming back to the lounge to pick up the discarded flower. "You just wait until I see you, whoever you are. You'll regret ever messing with me."

She turned and walked downstairs, determined to let her secret admirer know exactly what she thought of his stupid gifts when she saw him at dinner that night.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Finally the last chapter of my little story...Happy belated Valentine's Day MPHS.**_

* * *

It was a little after five in the evening on Valentine's Day as Aubrey stood at his office window, feeling sorry for himself while he watched the rain falling in thick wet sheets. "Great. Just great.", he muttered to himself. "A half naked belly dancer embarrasses me in front of everyone this morning and now miserable weather this afternoon. The perfect ending to a perfect day."

The area outside his office was strangely silent. Not even a computer whirred as the quiet minutes passed. All of the agents who worked in his division had left as soon as they could that evening, happily chatting about their plans for spending a pleasant Valentine's Day with someone special. Aubrey stood in the doorway and shook his head. "I must be the world's biggest jackass. Even Bower has a date tonight. What is wrong with me? Why didn't I call Jessica?"

He knew the answer to that question, however. He knew it was because he was afraid...afraid she might tell him she had a date...afraid he might find out that she didn't love him anymore. He couldn't face those fears...not today.

Glancing at his watch, he went back to his desk. He was supposed to find out later this evening who his secret admirer was, even though he had no desire to do so. He'd originally planned to go home and change before he went to the restaurant for the meeting, but the torrential rain had put a crimp in that plan, not that it mattered anyway. His work suit was nice enough to wear to the classy French bistro, and he wasn't out to impress whoever it was anyway.

He would've much rather gone home and turned on the television while he nuked some leftover lasagna, but there was no way to contact anyone to cancel the date, and he was too much of a gentleman to stand someone up, even if he wasn't interested in her. He picked up the small plastic box that held his boutonniere and then tossed it back on his desk. A red carnation...pretty gaudy to wear with a gray FBI regulation suit. _Oh well...I may not wear it that long after I get there. I may just say my piece and leave…_

Aubrey opened the Harwell case file on his computer and tried to read it, even though he was distracted by thoughts of his former girlfriend. He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing that evening. After all, she was a beautiful woman, and she could go out with any man she pleased. _I should've called her..._ but he hadn't done so, and now he was left alone to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

Oooooooooo

The Jeffersonian was abuzz with activity as people were getting ready to leave for the day. It seemed that everyone had plans to spend Valentine's evening with their significant other...everyone except Jessica.

She'd nodded and smiled as she listened to her fellow interns giggle about where they were going for dinner and what they were doing afterwards. She tried to put on a brave face, but it was difficult when all she could think about was how much she wished she was having dinner with James Aubrey this evening.

 _I should've called him._ She'd debated with herself about that very thing before deciding that it would only lead to an awkward situation. _What would I say if I asked him to have dinner with me and he already had plans with someone else? I don't think I could handle that..._

In the end she'd decided to make the safe, albeit unsatisfying, choice. Glancing at her phone again, she found herself wondering what her Superman was doing this evening. _Probably out with his secret admirer…whoever that is. I wish I could tell her to leave him alone..._

Picking up the wilted red carnation from her work station, Jessica grumbled to herself. She'd much rather go home to her tiny apartment where she could enjoy a bowl of soup as she curled up in her fluffy pink robe to watch _Star Trek_ reruns, but the guy was going to be waiting for her at the restaurant, and it was too late to back out now, even if she could get in touch with him.

"Ms. Warren?" Dr. Brennan stepped out of her office and waved at Jessica. "I need to speak with you, please."

"Yes, Dr. B." Jessica came in and sat down opposite of her mentor. "Is something wrong? I mean, I know the cowboy that visited this morning was way over the top, but..."

"Oh, no...of course there's nothing wrong." Brennan shook her head and smiled. "I know you didn't invite the dancer to come to the lab. However, I was wondering if you had time to run an errand for me this evening." She opened a file folder and pushed it across the desk. "This is the ballistics report on the bullet that we reverse engineered. The gun that fired that round came from a member of the Irish Warrior gang." Pointing to a highlighted paragraph, Brennan continued. "It belongs to Sean Corcoran, who is the brother of a person of interest in the case."

"So the guy was stupid enough to use a registered gun when he killed Harwell?" Jessica read through the file quickly. "This would probably be enough to get a search warrant…"

"Which is why I was wondering if you'd take this file over to the Hoover this evening on your way home. I realize you may have plans for Valentine's Day, but you could drop it off in the mailroom if you didn't want to go up to the offices, and then Agent Aubrey would have it first thing in the morning." Brennan smiled indulgently at her intern. "I know it's an imposition, but it seems all of our couriers have already gone home for the night."

"It's no problem, Dr. B. I don't mind going up to his office. My dinner date isn't until 7 this evening, and this will only take a few minutes." Jessica tried to hide her eager smile under a cool, professional exterior. "However, maybe I should leave now…"

Brennan nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, considering the weather. The rain seems to be very intense right now. I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Warren. Good night."

"Good night, Dr. B."

Brennan chuckled as she watched the intern race from the office. After hearing Hodgins' explanation about how Angela had sent singing telegram to both her intern and a certain FBI agent, the anthropologist had become intrigued with the concept of assisting two people in furthering a romantic relationship. Based on her data, it didn't seem to be all that difficult, so she'd decided to give Ms. Warren and Agent Aubrey a bit of a nudge by having them be in the same place at the same time. ' _Perhaps Angela needs to remember that old science adage the next time she chooses to indulge in matchmaking.',_ she thought smugly as she prepared to leave for the evening. _'Keep it Simple, Stupid.'_

Oooooooooo

After wasting a half hour trying to get something done on the Harwell case, Aubrey decided he'd procrastinated enough. It was time to go meet his secret admirer. As he shut down his computer, he was surprised to hear the elevator chime as the doors opened on his floor. _Probably the night cleaning crew…_

He picked up his keys and phone before reaching to take his overcoat from the rack, and then he saw her. "Jessica? What are you doing here? You're drenched…" He quickly ushered her into his office. "Here, let me have your coat…" He helped her remove her coat and then hung it up on the rack by the door before covering her shoulders with his overcoat. "You're shivering…."

"I...know." Her teeth chattered as she struggled to get warm. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and tried to smile as she sat down. "Dr. B...wanted me...to bring…this file to you…" She pulled the folder from her bag. "It's a...ballistics...re...re...report for...the Harwell case…"

"Okay…" Aubrey took the folder and glanced through it before putting it on his desk. "But how did you get so wet? Why didn't you take the Metro?"

"I was...in a hurry." She wrung her chilled hands together, trying to get the feeling back in them. "I...have a date...tonight. I thought...I could walk here…quicker than...the train...and then...catch the train...to go...home...but the rain..."

"Yeah, it's pouring out there. Even with wearing a raincoat you'd still get soaked to the skin." He knelt in front of her and rubbed her arms and hands gently, trying to ignore the part about her having a date. "Well, thanks for bringing the folder over. That was really nice. So Dr. B said it was important, right?"

"Yes." Jessica nodded again as she flexed her hands, finally feeling warmer and less shivery. Coughing softly, she was able to speak more steadily. "She said it would help you get a warrant to search Bobby Corcoran's place." She blushed a bit she looked up at him. "I'm sorry I bothered you with it instead of leaving it in the mailroom. I know you probably have plans for the evening, what with it being Valentine's Day and all…"

"Um...sort of...but not really...not good enough plans to make me push you out the door in a hurry. I've missed talking to you. Are you doing okay...other that being soaked, that is?" He struggled to be nonchalant as he cleared his throat nervously, still caressing her hands tenderly. "I know it was an inconvenience for you to come by my office on your way home, especially if you have plans...you know, with your date and all."

"I don't mind." Suddenly embarrassed, she withdrew her hands from his and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her arms absentmindedly. "I just wondered how you've been doing...and this was a good opportunity to say hi, that's all." She nervously glanced around the room until her gaze fell on a small plastic box. "Why do you have a red carnation?"

"Oh, that." Aubrey quickly picked up the box from his desk and threw it in a drawer. "It's nothing…"

"Wait...is that…what I think it is?", Jessica began slowly. "I don't believe it." She reached into her bag and pulled out a bedraggled red flower. "I'm supposed to take this with me to dinner, where I'm going to meet my secret admirer..."

"Why would you need a red carnation? Oh...I get it. So that your date...hey, just a minute…" He pulled the box from the drawer. I'm supposed to wear this when I meet my secret admirer."

"That's weird. Wait...that would mean..." Jessica hesitated as she thought things through for a minute. "But you didn't send me those gifts, right? You know I'm allergic to strawberries…"

"Yeah, I do...and the coffee cup just didn't seem to be your style. Neither did the belly dancer who came to see me this morning..." Aubrey chuckled softly. "...although she was pretty cute…"

"You should've seen the guy you supposedly sent to see me. He gives a whole new meaning to the saying 'ride'm cowboy' with those backless chaps he was wearing!" Giggling at Aubrey's irritation, Jessica reached out to take his hand. "You know I wouldn't do that sort of thing, right?"

"Well, at least not at work." Aubrey laughed at Jessica as she pretended to glare at him. "So if we weren't each other's secret admirers, who are they?"

"I don't know...maybe someone with a warped sense of humor...maybe Karen?"

"Nah, I don't think so." Aubrey stood up and pulled Jessica up to her feet. "This stuff has a weird, creative vibe going on…"

"Well, Karen is very weird…", Jessica said as she grinned at him.

"Yeah, but I think she'd send more blatantly sexual gifts to me, and I don't think she'd send you gifts at all." He grimaced slightly as he studied Jessica's hand. "She was really jealous of you, you know? And with good reason…" His voice trailed off as words failed him. "I didn't mean to hurt her, but…you know...I...couldn't help it...anyway..."

The silence that filled the room seemed oppressive. Finally, Jessica shrugged as she turned toward the door. "I should go home…"

"Why? We were supposed to meet each other at La Fouillet for dinner, so why not just go now?"

Jessica was horrified. "Do you have any idea how much a meal costs at that place? You're looking at hundreds of dollars for just the two of us."

"Yeah, but think about it. Someone else arranged this whole thing for us, so maybe someone else is paying for it." He winked at Jessica and laughed. "And if not, I guess I can man up and pull out my credit card." He smiled as he took her hand and pulled her into a tender embrace. "It'd be worth it to have dinner with you."

"Aubrey…", Jessica whispered as she looked into this blue eyes. "...I think I'd like to have dinner with you, too…even if it costs a fortune..."

"Yeah?", he whispered hopefully. She was so close...he desperately wanted to kiss her.

"Yeah. Maybe we can split the check…" He was so close. She really wanted him to kiss her.

"Oh, no." Aubrey pulled away slightly as shook his head, chuckling softly. "I remember what happened last time we made that arrangement. We ended up arguing about stupid shit." He reached up to push a strand of her dark red hair behind her ear. "I don't want to take that chance." He kissed her lips gently and sighed. "Listen, I know this may not be the time, and it's certainly not the place, but I can't help it. I can't stand being apart from you anymore. I don't ever want to live my life without having you in it. I love you so much, Jessica Warren, and I need you around if I'm ever gonna be happy again." Swallowing hard, he choked out his next sentence. "I know you may not feel that way about me, but I can't help it. I can't live without you."

"But I do...I do feel that way about you." Jessica gently ran her fingertips across his cheek. "I don't ever want to let you go again. I've tried living without you, and I hated it. I love you, too, James...and I'm so sorry I broke up with you. It was such a stupid thing to do…I don't ever want to live that way again."

"Really?" A happy smile spread across his face. "That's wonderful!"

"Do you really think so? Can you forgive me for being stupid enough to listen to Karen?"

"Yeah, I think so, and I know how you can make it up to me, but we'll have to wait until after dinner, okay?" He smirked at her blush. "See? You can still read my mind. You still know what I like."

She batted her eyelashes at him demurely. "Does that mean you still remember how to do that thing...you know...with your magic fingers?"

"Oh, yeah." He licked his lips in anticipation of the evening's activities. "I remember all of your little tricks, too…"

"Well, then...what are we waiting for? I mean, I know I look like a drowned rat..." She giggled as she tried to smooth her hair before picking up her wilted carnation. "But the sooner we have dinner, the sooner we can renew our acquaintance."

"Absolutely." He grinned as he pulled her coat from the rack. "And you look great. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful woman in my life."

"Aubrey…that's ridiculous.", she laughed.

"Hush." He turned off the lights and closed the door. "Let's go have dinner."

Oooooooooo

The couple held hands as they entered the swanky French bistro, feeling slightly out of place as they looked over the lobby's expensive decor. "Are you sure you want to eat here, Aubrey? I mean, the diner is fine with me…"

"Well, maybe we can go there later, but we both need to face our secret admirers and tell them to get lost, right? After all, I'm not letting that joker take my place, no matter who he is."

"Oh, okay." Jessica smirked at her Superman's show of bravado. "I guess I need to tell your admirer to keep her hands to herself, too."

"Good." Clearing his throat, Aubrey approached the tuxedo clad Maitre'd. "Excuse me...we're supposed to meet someone here…Aubrey?"

Glancing at the red carnations they held, the man looked down his list. "Yes, sir. Table 10. If you'll follow me…"

He led them through the candlelit restaurant to a secluded corner table. "Here you are. Your server will be with you shortly."

They looked at each other in surprise. "So where are our 'friends'?", Jessica asked as Aubrey looked around the room.

"I don't know. Maybe they've been delayed by the weather. Maybe we'll be lucky and they won't show up at all." He tried not to gasp as he looked at the menu. "I see what you mean...no prices on here means it's expensive…"

"Hey, there." Hodgins and Angela waved as they quickly approached the table. "It's good to see you both together this Valentine's Day. Listen, Angela has something she wants to say…"

"Um, yeah." Obviously embarrassed, she studied her fingernails as she began to speak. "So this whole secret admirer thing...it was me...all of it was my idea."

"What?" Aubrey looked at Angela in shock. "You mean…"

"Yeah. I just wanted to give you two a little push towards each other, okay? I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand...and I didn't know you were allergic to strawberries, Jessica. I'm so sorry for that...I'm gonna pay the medical bills for your bad reaction if there are any, okay?"

"Sure, I guess…but I don't understand. Why did you think this was a good idea?" Jessica shook her head in confusion. "I mean, why not just tell me what you thought…"

"I wasn't sure you'd take my advice. You're pretty independent, after all. But you two seemed so lost without each other, and I thought it'd be fun...it was all supposed to be in good fun, but I was obviously wrong to stick my nose where it didn't belong, and I'm sorry for that." Angela wore a sheepish grin. "It seems like you guys were working your way back toward each other anyway, even without my help. I'm just glad I didn't ruin things for you with my mischief."

"Angie has promised me that she'll never do any matchmaking ever again, right?" Seeing his wife nod in agreement, Hodgins grinned. "Now...dinner is on us. Have whatever you want, and don't worry about how much you're spending. I've got it taken care of. I've already ordered a bottle of champagne for you." He winked at them before he turned to leave. "You might try the raw oysters. They're supposed to be an aphrodisiac, you know? Good night."

"Well, what do you think, Jess?" They clinked their glasses together in a toast. "Are you having a good Valentine's Day?"

"The best one I ever had, Aubrey.", she giggled.

He grinned as he pulled an oyster from its shell. "It's gonna be a good one...and I promise you, we're gonna have many more Valentine's celebrations together." He smiled happily as he took her hand. "I love you, Jessica."

"I love you, too, Superman." She laughed as she pointed to the plate of shellfish. "Now, eat up. You're gonna need some fuel for this evening."

"I can't wait." He slurped another oyster from the half shell. "I better have another dozen, don't you think? And I think you need to have some, too."

She giggled as she sipped her drink. "Maybe so, Aubrey. Maybe so."

They both smiled, happy and relieved to be together at last, and vowing to each other that no matter what happened, they'd work to stay together for the rest of their lives.

* * *

 _ **If you enjoyed this story, you might enjoy the longer, more detailed version in Love and Carbonite, which is written as a collaboration between Mphs and myself under the pseudonym Lachelle Nepper. Thanks for reading. Laura.**_


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